Emerging role of tissue lectins as microenvironmental effectors in tumors and wounds

Abstract

Detailed comparative analysis of at first sight not related process cascades is a means toward this aim: to trace common effector mechanisms and hereby eventually inspire innovative routes for therapeutic management. Following this concept, promotion of tumor progression by stroma, especially cancerassociated fibroblasts and smooth muscle actin-positive myofibroblasts, and beneficial activity of respective cells in wound healing have helped to delineate the involvement of endogenous lectins of the family of galectins. In addition to initiating conversion of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts, galectin-1 instructs the cells to produce a structurally complex extracellular matrix. This bioscaffold is useful for keratinocyte culture, also apparently operative in ameliorating wound healing. These functional aspects encourage to study in detail how lectin-(glycan) counterreceptor display is orchestrated. Such insights are assumed to have potential to contribute to rationally manipulate stem/precursor cells as resource in regenerative medicine.