Galectin-8 Drives Melanoma Under Hypoxia | Deep Dive into Glycome Reprogramming & Tumor Initiation

In this episode of The Glycocalyx & Beyond, we dive deep into another remarkable glycobiology paper:

“Hypoxia Controls the Glycome Signature and Galectin-8-Ligand Axis to Promote Protumorigenic Properties of Metastatic Melanoma”
(Chakraborty et al., Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2023)

We explore how hypoxia reshapes the glycan landscape of melanoma cells, promoting i-linear poly-LacNAc expression by suppressing GCNT2, and how this shift enables Galectin-8 to drive tumor-initiating cell (TIC) potential through CD44 and NGFR.

This paper showcases the intricate connection between tumor microenvironmental stress, glycosylation, and malignancy... revealing new layers of how glycans regulate immune evasion and tumor progression.

Special thanks to the Dimitroff Lab for their cutting-edge work in translational glycobiology, and to Dr. Asmi Chakraborty for continuing to lead the charge with such impactful discoveries.

🧬 Topics Covered:

Hypoxia-driven glycome reprogramming

Loss of GCNT2 and rise of i-linear poly-LacNAcs

Galectin-8 as a dual-function driver of TICs

CD44 as a Gal-8 ligand and metastatic enabler

Glycans as emerging biomarkers and therapeutic targets

#glycobiology #galectins #Gal-8 #melanoma #hypoxia #CD44 #GCNT2 #CancerStemCells #TumorInitiatingCells #biomedicalscience #scientificpodcast #GlycanScience #Dimitroff.Lab

Chakraborty, Asmi, et al. "Hypoxia controls the glycome signature and galectin-8–ligand axis to promote protumorigenic properties of metastatic melanoma." Journal of Investigative Dermatology 143.3 (2023): 456-469.