Unlike mammalian GRIFIN, the zebrafish homologue (DrGRIFIN) represents a functional carbohydrate-binding galectin.

ABSTRACT: Galectins, a family of beta-galactoside-binding proteins, participate in a variety of biological processes, such as early development, tissue organization, immune regulation, and tumor evasion and metastasis. Although as many as fifteen bona fide galectins have been identified in mammals, but the detailed mechanisms of their biological roles still remain unclear for most. This fragmentary knowledge extends to galectin-like proteins such as the rat lens crystallin protein GRIFIN (Galectin-related inter fiber protein) and the galectin-related protein GRP (previously HSPC159; hematopoietic stem cell precursor) that lack carbohydrate-binding activity. Their inclusion in the galectin family has been debated, as they are considered products of evolutionary co-option. We have identified a homolog

SUBMITTER: Ahmed H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2766801 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature