Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
10930102 Cytokine & Growth Factor Reviews 2013 12 Pages PDF
Abstract
Galectins are a family of carbohydrate binding proteins with a broad range of cytokine and growth factor-like functions in multiple steps of cancer progression. They contribute to tumor cell transformation, promote tumor angiogenesis, hamper the anti-tumor immune response, and facilitate tumor metastasis. Consequently, galectins are considered as multifunctional targets for cancer therapy. Interestingly, many of the functions related to tumor progression can be linked to galectins expressed by endothelial cells in the tumor vascular bed. Since the tumor vasculature is an easily accessible target for cancer therapy, understanding how galectins in the tumor endothelium influence cancer progression is important for the translational development of galectin-targeting therapies.
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Life Sciences Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology Cell Biology
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