Galectins at the crossroads of tumor immunity, metabolism, and metastasis: mechanisms, therapeutic resistance, and translational opportunities

15 Jul 20264 min read2 viewsJournal Feed

GIST (Key Takeaways)

Galectins, a structurally conserved family of β-galactoside-binding lectins, have emerged as key regulators of cancer progression. However, their integrated roles across tumor immunity, metabolic rewiring, and metastasis have yet to be fully defined.
In this review, we synthesize current evidence on major galectin family members, particularly galectin (Gal)-1, Gal-3, Gal-4, Gal-7, Gal-9, and Gal-13, and delineate how they drive tumor progression through mechanistically distinct yet convergent pathways. Specifically, galectins induce T-cell dysfunction through T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-3 (TIM-3)- and programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)-associated signaling, reprogram macrophages and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) via phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT), Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathways, and modulate innate immune effectors, including natural killer (NK) cells, neutrophils, and dendritic cells, in a context-dependent manner.
Beyond immune regulation, galectins reshape tumor metabolism through effects on glycolysis, lipid metabolism, and glycan remodeling, and differentially regulate ferroptosis susceptibility, with the contrasting roles of Gal-1 and Gal-13 underscoring functional diversity within the family.

Clinical Editorial

Frontiers in Immunology published a clinical update in Infectious Disease on 15 Jul 2026.

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Frontiers in Immunology

Galectins at the crossroads of tumor immunity, metabolism, and metastasis: mechanisms, therapeutic resistance, and translational opportunities

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Galectins at the crossroads of tumor immunity, metabolism, and metastasis: mechanisms, therapeutic resistance, and translational opportunities

GIST (Key Takeaways)

Clinical Editorial

Source Reference

Related by Condition/Drug

Human seminal plasma suppresses neutrophil antimicrobial functions and promotes bacterial survival

Reorganization and functional divergence of the CD4+ memory T cell compartment in hidradenitis suppurativa

Eosinophil Tissue Adaptation And Functional Specialization

Tissue-resident CD8 + T cells link pregnancy to breast cancer protection

An opportunity to confront multimorbidity

Can multimorbidity research progress from description to intervention?