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DECREASED EXPRESSION OF GALECTIN‐3 IS ASSOCIATED WITH PROGRESSION OF HUMAN BREAST CANCER
Author(s) -
CASTRONOVO VINCENT,
VAN DEN BRÛLE FRÉDÉRIC A.,
JACKERS PASCALE,
CLAUSSE NATHALIE,
LIU FUTONG,
GILLET CLAUDETTE,
SOBEL MARK E.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
the journal of pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.964
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1096-9896
pISSN - 0022-3417
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9896(199605)179:1<43::aid-path541>3.0.co;2-n
Subject(s) - galectin 3 , breast cancer , pathology , immunohistochemistry , galectin , carcinoma in situ , laminin , immunoperoxidase , biology , metastasis , breast carcinoma , ductal carcinoma , cancer research , cancer , medicine , carcinoma , antibody , immunology , monoclonal antibody , extracellular matrix , microbiology and biotechnology
Galectin‐3, a member of the β‐galactoside‐binding lectin family, is involved in several biological events including binding to the basement membrane glycoprotein laminin. Although the exact role of galectin‐3 during the interactions between cells and laminin is not yet known, it has recently been observed that its expression is down‐regulated at both the protein and the mRNA level in colon cancer tissues in correlation with progression of the disease. This study investigated the possibility that breast cancer cells might also exhibit decreased galectin‐3 expression in association with their aggressiveness. The expression of galectin‐3 was examined by immunoperoxidase staining, using a polyclonal antibody raised against recombinant galectin‐3, in a collection of 98 human breast lesions including 12 fibroadenomas, 15 fibrocystic disease lesions, 22 in situ carcinomas, and 49 infiltrating ductal carcinomas, 19 of which had positive axillary lymph nodes. Normal breast tissue adjacent to the lesions was present in 59 biopsies. Normal breast tissue expressed high levels (3+) of galectin‐3. High expression (2+ to 3+) was also found in most benign lesions examined. The expression of galectin‐3 was significantly decreased in in situ carcinoma and this down‐regulation was more pronounced in invasive ductal carcinoma, particularly when associated with infiltration of axillary lymph nodes. These data constitute the first observation that galectin‐3 is down‐regulated in breast cancer and suggest the decreased expression of this galactoside‐binding lectin is associated with the acquisition of the invasive and metastatic phenotype.