Role of galectin-3 in mast cell functions: Galectin-3-deficient mast cells exhibit impaired mediator release and defective JNK expression

Galectin-3 is a member of the beta-galactoside-binding animal lectin family expressed in various cell types, including mast cells. To determine the role of galectin-3 in the function of mast cells, we studied bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMC) from wild-type (gal3(+/+)) and galectin-3-deficient (gal3(-/-)) mice. Cells from the two genotypes showed comparable expression of IgE receptor and c-Kit. However, upon activation by Fc epsilon RI cross-linkage, gala(-/-) BMMC secreted a significantly lower amount of histamine as well as the cytokine IL-4, compared with gal3(+/+) BMMC. In addition, we found significantly reduced passive cutaneous anaphylaxis reactions in gala(-/-) mice compared with gal3(+/+) mice. These results indicate that there is a defect in the response of mast cells in gal3(-/-) mice. Unexpectedly, we found that gala(-/-) BMMC contained a dramatically lower basal level of JNK1 protein compared with gal3(+/+) BMMC, which is probably responsible for the lower IL-4 production. The decreased JNK1 level in gal3(-/-) BMMC is accompanied by a lower JNK1 mRNA level, suggesting that galectin-3 regulates the transcription of the JNK gene or processing of its RNA. All together, these results point to an important role of galectin-3 in mast cell biology.