Galectin-1 (Gal1) and N-glycans regulate the spontaneous development of sialadenitis

VERONICA MARTINEZ ALLO; VANESA HAUK; ROSA MORALES; JUAN STUPIRSKI; NICOLAS PINTO; CLAUDIA PEREZ LEIROS; GABRIEL RABINOVICH; MARTA TOSCANO

Congreso; IMMUNOCOLOMBIA2015 - 11th Congress of the Latin American Association of Immunology; 2015

Gal1, an endogenous β-galactoside-binding protein, plays a critical role in immune cell homeostasis. Administration of recombinant Gal1 suppresses the immunological and clinical signs of several experimental models of chronic inflammation. In this work we evaluate the relevance of endogenous Gal1 in the development of spontaneous autoimmunity. We first analyzed the presence of autoantibodies in aged Gal1 deficient (Lgals1-/-) and wild type (WT) mice (~20 month), and found that Lgals1-/- have increased levels of anti-dsDNA and ANA autoantibodies in blood serum in comparison with WT mice of the same age by ELISA. Moreover, these serum samples were positive for anti-nuclear structures in indirect immunofluorescence assays on HEp-2 cells. To further characterize this spontaneous autoimmune phenotype we analyzed histopathological signs in several organs of aged Lgals1-/- and WT mice. We found that salivary glands of Lgals1-/- mice have increased weight and augmented signs of inflammation as compared to WT mice (P