Biolegend, 397006, Alexa Fluor® 647 anti-human Galectin-4 Antibody

Galectin-4, also known as LGALS4, is a member of galectin family, a family of conserved animal lectins, which are characterized by their affinity for poly-N-acetyllactosamine-enriched glycoconjugates and sequence similarities in the carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD). Galectin-4 was initially identified in gastrointestinal mucosa including oral mucosa and esophagus. RNAse protection assays revealed that it is not expressed in the brain, kidney, skeletal muscle, heart, liver, and lung tissues. Similar to other galectins, galectin-4 does not have a signal peptide and is synthesized as a cytosolic protein, but it can be secreted. Galectin-4 controls intestinal inflammation and it binds to activated T cells at the CD3 region, which results in a potent inhibition of cell cycle progression and induction of antigen-induced cell death. Galectin-4 induces T cell death through the caspase-independent calcium-calpain signaling pathway. Galectin-4 is downregulated in colon cancer tissue and is absent in invasive carcinomas. Nevertheless, high levels in serum are detected in patients with colon and breast cancer. In contrast, it is considerably upregulated in pancreatic adenocarcinomas, hepatocellular carcinomas, and gastric cancer.