Chemokines modulate glycan binding and the immunoregulatory activity of galectins

Abstract

Sanjurjo et al investigate the role of galectins in immunomodulation, reporting that chemokines can control galectin immunomodulatory function through a mechanism involving galectin-chemokine binding pairs. Specifically, the authors find that CXCL4 binding changes the galectin-1 carbohydrate binding site, altering the glycan-binding affinity and specificity of galectin-1, as well as increasing the apoptotic activity of galectin-1 on CD8+ T cells.