Galectins are a family of soluble β-galactoside-binding proteins with diverse glycan-dependent and glycan-independent functions outside and inside the cell. Human cells express twelve out of sixteen recognized mammalian galectin genes and their expression profiles are very different between cell types and tissues. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the changes in the expression of individual galectins at mRNA and protein levels in different types of differentiating cells and the effects of recombinant galectins on cellular differentiation. A new model of galectin regulation is proposed considering the change in O-GlcNAc homeostasis between progenitor/stem cells and mature differentiated cells. The recognition of galectins as regulatory factors controlling cell differentiation and self-renewal is essential for developmental and cancer biology to develop innovative strategies for prevention and targeted treatment of proliferative diseases, tissue regeneration, and stem-cell therapy.

中文翻译：

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半乳糖凝集素和O-GlcNAc稳态在细胞分化过程中的新兴作用。

半乳凝素是可溶性β-半乳糖苷结合蛋白家族，在细胞的内部和外部具有不同的依赖于聚糖和依赖于聚糖的功能。人类细胞表达十六种公认的哺乳动物半乳凝素基因中的十二种，并且它们的表达谱在细胞类型和组织之间非常不同。在这篇综述中，我们总结了当前关于不同类型的分化细胞在mRNA和蛋白质水平上单个半乳糖凝集素表达变化的知识，以及重组半乳糖凝集素对细胞分化的影响。考虑到O的变化，提出了一种新的半乳凝素调节模型-祖细胞/干细胞与成熟分化细胞之间的-GlcNAc动态平衡。将半乳凝素作为控制细胞分化和自我更新的调节因子，对于发育和癌症生物学研究出预防和靶向治疗增生性疾病，组织再生和干细胞疗法的创新策略至关重要。