Journal
GLYCOBIOLOGY
Volume 21, Issue 10, Pages 1258-1265Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC
DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwq214
Keywords
apoptosis; cytokines; galectin; mucin; T helper cells
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Funding
- NIH [AI067544, AI073748]
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beta-Galactoside-binding lectin 9 (galectin-9) is a tandem repeat-type member of the galectin family. It was initially characterized as an eosinophil chemoattractant and an inducer of apoptosis in thymocytes. Subsequently, galectin-9 was identified as a ligand for transmembrane immunoglobulin mucin domain 3 (Tim-3), a type I glycoprotein induced on T cells during chronic inflammation. Work in autoimmune diseases and chronic viral infections have led to the current hypothesis that the function of Tim-3 is to limit immune responses. However, it is still not known to what degree these effects are due to the galectin-9/Tim-3 interaction. In this study, we show that galectin-9 is not limited to the role of a pro-apoptotic agent, but that it can also induce the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines from T helper cells. This effect is dose-dependent and does not require Tim-3. These findings suggest that the effects of galectin-9 on T cells are more complex than previously thought and are mediated by additional receptors apart from Tim-3.
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