THE GALECTIN-1-GLYCAN AXIS IN THE CONTROL OF INTESTINAL INFLAMMATION

MOROSI, LUCIANO; MAY, MARÍA; MARIÑO, KARINA VALERIA; MORALES, ROSA; RABINOVICH, GABRIEL A.; CUTINE, ANABELA; TOSCANO, MARTA A

Los Cocos, Córdoba, Argentina

Simposio; Advanced Course on Mucosal Immunology (ACMI 2018), Society of Mucosal Immunology; 2018

Society of Mucosal Immunology

Our laboratory investigates the role of glycans and their interaction with endogenous lectins in the development and resolution of chronic inflammatory diseases. Galectin-1 (Gal1) is a glycan-binding protein that recognizes N- and O-glycans bearing the disaccharide Nacetyllactosamine(Galβ(1-4)GlcNAc) and is capable of exerting protective and immunomodulatory activity in different chronic inflammation models, including 2,4,6-Trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis in mice. However, the role of endogenous Gal1 in mucosal homeostasis and intestinal immunoregulation are still poorly understood. We evaluated the development of TNBS-induced colitis in C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) mice and in animals devoid of Gal1 (Lgals1-/-) or enzymes involved in the generation or masking of Gal1-glycoepitopes: Gcnt1 (generation of core-2 O-glycans) and St6gal1 (terminal α2,6 sialylation of N-glycans). Finally, we compared the development of colitis mediated by adoptive transfer of WT, Gcnt1-/- or St6gal1-/- CD4+CD45BRhigh T cells in Rag2-/- mice. WT and Lgals1-/- mice developed acute TNBS-induced colitis, although with a more severe disease in Lgals1-/- animals (p