Galectin-1 is essential in tumor angiogenesis and is a target for antiangiogenesis therapy.

Victor L. J. L. Thijssen (1) , Ruben Postel (2) , Ricardo J. M. G. E. Brandwijk (1) , Ruud P. M. Dings (3) , Irina Nesmelova (3) , Sietske Satijn (1) , Nicole Verhofstad (1) , Yusaku Nakabeppu (4) , Linda G. Baum (5) , Jeroen Bakkers (2) , Kevin H. Mayo (3) , Françoise Poirier (6) , Arjan W. Griffioen (1)

1 Angiogenesis Laboratory Research Institute for Growth and Development (GROW), Department of Pathology
2 NIOB - Netherlands Institute for Developmental Biology and Interuniversity Cardiology Institute of the Netherlands, Hubrecht Laboratory
3 Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota
4 MIB - Division of Neurofunctional Genomics, Department of Immunobiology and Neuroscience, Medical Institute of Bioregulation
5 Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine [UCLA]
6 IJM (UMR_7592) - Institut Jacques Monod

We describe that galectin-1 (gal-1) is a receptor for the angiogenesis inhibitor anginex, and that the protein is crucial for tumor angiogenesis. gal-1 is overexpressed in endothelial cells of different human tumors. Expression knockdown in cultured endothelial cells inhibits cell proliferation and migration. The importance of gal-1 in angiogenesis is illustrated in the zebrafish model, where expression knockdown results in impaired vascular guidance and growth of dysfunctional vessels. The role of gal-1 in tumor angiogenesis is demonstrated in gal-1-null mice, in which tumor growth is markedly impaired because of insufficient tumor angiogenesis. Furthermore, tumor growth in gal-1-null mice no longer responds to antiangiogenesis treatment by anginex. Thus, gal-1 regulates tumor angiogenesis and is a target for angiostatic cancer therapy.

Domaines: Cancer

Victor L. J. L. Thijssen, Ruben Postel, Ricardo J. M. G. E. Brandwijk, Ruud P. M. Dings, Irina Nesmelova, et al.. Galectin-1 is essential in tumor angiogenesis and is a target for antiangiogenesis therapy.. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2006, 103 (43), pp.15975-80. ⟨10.1073/pnas.0603883103⟩. ⟨hal-00109326⟩