The sweet kiss of death: Impact of protein-glycan interactions in immunoregulation and tumor-immune escape

MARTA A. TOSCANO, JUAN M. ILARREGUI, NATALIA RUBINSTEIN, GABRIEL A. RABINOVICH

Sao Paulo, Brasil

Congreso; XII Meeting of the Latin American Society of Cell Biology; 2004

Brazilian Society of Cell Biology

The sweet kiss of death: Impact of protein-glycan interactions in immunoregulation and tumor-immune escape Marta Toscano, Juan Ilarregui, Natalia Rubinstein, Gabriel A. Rabinovich   Division of Immunogenetics. School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires   Recent evidence has implicated galectins as novel regulators of immune cell homeostasis. Whereas some members of this family behave as amplifiers of the inflammatory cascade, others trigger homeostatic signals to shut off T-cell effector functions. These carbohydrate-binding proteins, identified by shared consensus amino acid sequences and affinity for beta-galactoside-containing sugars, participate in the homeostasis of the inflammatory response, either by regulating cell survival and signaling, influencing cell growth and chemotaxis, and mediating cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. During this presentation, we will summarize the state-of-the-art of the effects of galectins in inflammatory processes and tumor-immune escape. In particular we will discuss recent findings on the impact of differential glycosylation on T cell survival and its consequences in tumor cell evasion of immune responses.  The current wealth of new information promises a future scenario in which individual members of the galectin family or their specific inhibitors will be used as powerful anti-inflammatory mediators and selective modulators of innate and adaptive immune responses.