Galectins as Master Regulators of Gastric Cancer Progression
Gastric cancer remains a major global health challenge, largely due to its biological heterogeneity and limited treatment options for advanced stages. Among the numerous molecular players involved in its pathogenesis, galectins—β-galactoside-binding lectins—have emerged as key modulators of tumor be...
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2025-07-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/14/1090 |
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| author | Bojan Stojanovic Ivan Jovanovic Milica Dimitrijevic Stojanovic Bojan Milosevic Marko Spasic Bojana S. Stojanovic Stefan Jakovljevic Nenad Zornic Danijela Jovanovic Jelena Nesic Milan Paunovic Ivan Radosavljevic Nenad Markovic Mladen Pavlovic Nikola Mirkovic |
| author_facet | Bojan Stojanovic Ivan Jovanovic Milica Dimitrijevic Stojanovic Bojan Milosevic Marko Spasic Bojana S. Stojanovic Stefan Jakovljevic Nenad Zornic Danijela Jovanovic Jelena Nesic Milan Paunovic Ivan Radosavljevic Nenad Markovic Mladen Pavlovic Nikola Mirkovic |
| author_sort | Bojan Stojanovic |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Gastric cancer remains a major global health challenge, largely due to its biological heterogeneity and limited treatment options for advanced stages. Among the numerous molecular players involved in its pathogenesis, galectins—β-galactoside-binding lectins—have emerged as key modulators of tumor behavior. These multifunctional proteins influence diverse processes including cell proliferation, invasion, immune evasion, stromal remodeling, and therapy resistance. Recent advances in experimental and clinical research have shed light on the complex roles of galectin family members—particularly Galectin-1, -3, and -9—in shaping the tumor microenvironment and driving disease progression. This review highlights the current understanding of galectin biology in gastric cancer, with emphasis on their structural characteristics, cellular localization, functional diversity, and translational relevance. By synthesizing insights from molecular studies and clinicopathological observations, we explore the potential of galectins as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in the evolving landscape of gastric cancer research. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4358964ad6ad48458a33a809e87e7cd0 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2073-4409 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cells |
| spelling | doaj-art-4358964ad6ad48458a33a809e87e7cd02025-08-20T03:36:17ZengMDPI AGCells2073-44092025-07-011414109010.3390/cells14141090Galectins as Master Regulators of Gastric Cancer ProgressionBojan Stojanovic0Ivan Jovanovic1Milica Dimitrijevic Stojanovic2Bojan Milosevic3Marko Spasic4Bojana S. Stojanovic5Stefan Jakovljevic6Nenad Zornic7Danijela Jovanovic8Jelena Nesic9Milan Paunovic10Ivan Radosavljevic11Nenad Markovic12Mladen Pavlovic13Nikola Mirkovic14Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, SerbiaCenter for Molecular Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, SerbiaCenter for Molecular Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, SerbiaDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, SerbiaDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, SerbiaCenter for Molecular Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, SerbiaDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, SerbiaDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, SerbiaDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, SerbiaDepartment of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, SerbiaDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, SerbiaDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, SerbiaDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, SerbiaDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, SerbiaDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, SerbiaGastric cancer remains a major global health challenge, largely due to its biological heterogeneity and limited treatment options for advanced stages. Among the numerous molecular players involved in its pathogenesis, galectins—β-galactoside-binding lectins—have emerged as key modulators of tumor behavior. These multifunctional proteins influence diverse processes including cell proliferation, invasion, immune evasion, stromal remodeling, and therapy resistance. Recent advances in experimental and clinical research have shed light on the complex roles of galectin family members—particularly Galectin-1, -3, and -9—in shaping the tumor microenvironment and driving disease progression. This review highlights the current understanding of galectin biology in gastric cancer, with emphasis on their structural characteristics, cellular localization, functional diversity, and translational relevance. By synthesizing insights from molecular studies and clinicopathological observations, we explore the potential of galectins as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in the evolving landscape of gastric cancer research.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/14/1090gastric cancergalectinstumor microenvironmentepithelial–mesenchymal transitionimmune evasionchemoresistance |
| spellingShingle | Bojan Stojanovic Ivan Jovanovic Milica Dimitrijevic Stojanovic Bojan Milosevic Marko Spasic Bojana S. Stojanovic Stefan Jakovljevic Nenad Zornic Danijela Jovanovic Jelena Nesic Milan Paunovic Ivan Radosavljevic Nenad Markovic Mladen Pavlovic Nikola Mirkovic Galectins as Master Regulators of Gastric Cancer Progression Cells gastric cancer galectins tumor microenvironment epithelial–mesenchymal transition immune evasion chemoresistance |
| title | Galectins as Master Regulators of Gastric Cancer Progression |
| title_full | Galectins as Master Regulators of Gastric Cancer Progression |
| title_fullStr | Galectins as Master Regulators of Gastric Cancer Progression |
| title_full_unstemmed | Galectins as Master Regulators of Gastric Cancer Progression |
| title_short | Galectins as Master Regulators of Gastric Cancer Progression |
| title_sort | galectins as master regulators of gastric cancer progression |
| topic | gastric cancer galectins tumor microenvironment epithelial–mesenchymal transition immune evasion chemoresistance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/14/1090 |
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