LGALS3 (Galectin-3)
A multifunctional β-galactoside-binding lectin involved in cell adhesion, immune modulation, and cancer progression.
Gene Information Card
| Symbol | LGALS3 |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Galectin 3 |
| Gene Type | Protein coding |
| Chromosomal Location | 14q22.3 |
| NCBI Gene ID | 3958 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3958 |
| Ensembl ID | ENSG00000131981 |
| UniProt ID | P17931 |
| OMIM ID | 153619 |
| HGNC ID | 6565 |
| Aliases | GAL3, MAC2, CBP35, GALBP, L31, LGALS2 |
Description
LGALS3 encodes galectin-3, a member of the galectin family of β-galactoside-binding lectins. Galectin-3 is involved in cell-cell adhesion, cell-matrix interactions, immune regulation, apoptosis, and RNA splicing. It is localized in the nucleus, cytoplasm, and extracellular space, and its expression is dysregulated in various cancers, fibrosis, and inflammatory diseases.
Disease Associations
| Disease category | Pathophysiological mechanism | Genomic evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Cancer (breast, colon, thyroid, gastric) | Galectin-3 promotes tumor cell adhesion, angiogenesis, and metastasis via binding to glycoproteins on cell surfaces and extracellular matrix. | PMID: 25687238; COSMIC |
| Heart failure | Elevated serum galectin-3 is associated with myocardial fibrosis and adverse cardiac remodeling. | PMID: 24172245; ClinVar |
| Fibrosis (liver, kidney, lung) | Galectin-3 activates myofibroblasts and promotes collagen deposition through TGF-β signaling. | PMID: 28459467; OMIM |
| Inflammatory diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, asthma) | Galectin-3 modulates immune cell activation and cytokine release. | PMID: 27477920; NCBI Gene |
Expression Profile
Tissue Expression
| Tissue | nTPM | level |
|---|---|---|
| Adipose tissue | 12.5 | Medium |
| Colon | 18.3 | Medium |
| Lung | 9.8 | Low |
| Heart | 6.2 | Low |
| Liver | 4.1 | Not detected |
| Kidney | 15.1 | Medium |
| Breast | 11.0 | Medium |
Cell Line Expression
| Cell Line | nTPM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MCF7 (breast cancer) | 22.4 | High expression |
| A549 (lung cancer) | 14.7 | Medium expression |
| HCT116 (colon cancer) | 19.1 | Medium expression |
| HEK293 (embryonic kidney) | 8.3 | Low expression |
| THP-1 (monocyte) | 25.6 | High expression |
Data source：Human Protein Atlas（proteinatlas.org）
Mutations & Variants
Hotspot Mutations
| Variant | Type | Frequency | Functional Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| c.190C>T (p.Arg64Trp) | Missense | <0.01% | Altered carbohydrate binding; reported in cancer cell lines (COSMIC) |
| c.313G>A (p.Gly105Ser) | Missense | <0.01% | Reduced stability; found in gastric cancer (COSMIC) |
| c.1A>G (p.Met1Val) | Start loss | <0.01% | Loss of translation initiation; rare (ClinVar) |
Mutation functional classification
Loss of Function (LOF)
Rare missense variants (e.g., p.Arg64Trp) may impair carbohydrate-binding activity, reducing galectin-3's ability to mediate cell adhesion and signaling.
Gain of Function (GOF)
Overexpression of wild-type LGALS3 is common in cancers, conferring enhanced pro-survival and pro-metastatic functions; no clear gain-of-function mutations are documented.
Dominant Negative (DN)
No dominant-negative mutations have been reported for LGALS3.
View complete mutation data：
Gene Ontology (GO)
| • GO:0005515 – protein binding | • GO:0005537 – mannose binding |
| • GO:0030246 – carbohydrate binding | • GO:0007155 – cell adhesion |
| • GO:0006915 – apoptotic process | • GO:0043066 – negative regulation of apoptotic process |
| • GO:0008284 – positive regulation of cell population proliferation | • GO:0005615 – extracellular space |
Pathways
• Galectin-3 in cancer (Reactome: R-HSA-5621481)
• TGF-β signaling pathway (KEGG: hsa04350)
• Apoptosis (KEGG: hsa04210)
• Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) (KEGG: hsa04514)
Protein Summary
Galectin-3 is a 26 kDa chimeric protein composed of an N-terminal domain (involved in oligomerization) and a C-terminal carbohydrate-recognition domain (CRD) that binds β-galactosides. It shuttles between the nucleus (regulating pre-mRNA splicing) and cytoplasm (modulating signaling pathways), and is secreted via non-classical pathways to exert extracellular functions. Its expression is upregulated in many cancers and fibrotic tissues, making it a biomarker and therapeutic target.
Related Services
Related Products
| Product name | Cat.No. | Species | Gene ID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LGALS3BP Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ2621 | Human | 3959 | Details Get a Quote |
| LGALS3 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDC09619 | Human | 3958 | Details Get a Quote |
| LGALS3 Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ43967 | Human | 3958 | Details Get a Quote |
| LGALS3 Knockout HeLa Cell Line | EDJ-KQ43969 | Human | 3958 | Details Get a Quote |
| LGALS3BP Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ23351 | Human | 3959 | Details Get a Quote |
| LGALS3BP Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ23352 | Human | 3959 | Details Get a Quote |
| LGALS3BP Knockout HeLa Cell Line | EDJ-KQ23353 | Human | 3959 | Details Get a Quote |
| LGALS3 Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ42729 | Human | 3958 | Details Get a Quote |
| LGALS3 Knockout JIMT-1 Cell Line | EDJ-KZ33 | Human | 3958 | Details Get a Quote |
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