Role of p56^lck and ZAP70-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation in galectin-1-induced cell death

Dear Editor,

Galectins belong to the family of evolutionary conserved β-galactoside binding animal lectins. One of the members of the galectin family, galectin-1 (gal-1), plays roles in several biological processes such as immunomodulation, cell adhesion, regulation of cell growth and apoptosis.¹ The immunoregulatory effect, at least in part, is mediated by the induction of apoptosis of activated peripheral T cells.² The intracellular pathway of T-cell death involves the hyperpolarization of the mitochondria,³ caspase activation, Bcl-2 downregulation and activation of AP-1 transcription factor.^{4, 5} Gal-1 treatment induces partial T-cell receptor ζ (TCRζ) chain phosphorylation, generating pp21ζ and limited receptor clustering at the TCR contact site,⁶ and hence it antagonizes with the TCR signal transduction and promotes apoptosis.

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