Expression and role of Galectins 1 and 3 in the lesioned brain

Astrocytes react to brain injury in a heterogeneous manner with only a subset resuming proliferation and acquiring in vitro neural stem cell properties. In order to identify novel regulators of this astrocyte subset, we performed a genome-wide expression analysis of reactive astrocytes isolated 5 days after stab wound injury from the adult mouse cerebral cortex. The expression pattern was compared with astrocytes from normal cortex and adult neural stem cells isolated from the sub-ependymal zone (GSE18765). These comparisons revealed a set of genes up-regulated both in neurogenic neural stem cells and reactive astrocytes, including the lectins Galectin-1 and -3. These results, as well as the pattern of Galectin expression in the lesioned brain, led us to examine the functional significance of these lectins in brains of Galectin-1/3 double-knockout mice.

6

Sirko S, Irmler M, Gascón S, Bek S, Schneider S, Dimou L, Obermann J, De Souza Paiva D, Poirier F, Beckers J, Hauck SM, Barde YA, Götz M