Tumor Intrinsic Galectin-3 Suppresses Melanoma Metastasis

In this episode of The Glycocalyx & Beyond, we explore a groundbreaking study revealing an unexpected role for Galectin-3 in melanoma:

“Tumor-Intrinsic Galectin-3 Suppresses Melanoma Metastasis”
(Mohammed, Lau, Souchak, Qiu, Ahluwalia, Osman, Dimitroff; Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2024)

Contrary to the long-held view that Galectin-3 always serves as a pro-metastatic factor, this study uncovers how intracellular Gal-3 acts as a brake on melanoma progression. Silencing Gal-3 in melanoma cells enhanced migration, invasion, clonogenic growth, and metastatic colonization, while also unleashing NFAT1-driven transcriptional programs that elevate MMP-3 and IL-8, key pro-metastatic effectors.

This paper reshapes our understanding of galectins in cancer—highlighting the context-dependent, dual roles of Gal-3, and revealing new insight into how tumor-intrinsic glycobiology modulates oncogenic signaling.

🧬 Topics Covered:

Downregulation of Gal-3 in metastatic versus primary melanoma

Functional impact of Gal-3 silencing on migration, invasion, and in vivo colonization

Serum Gal-3 elevation in melanoma patients without stage correlation

NFAT1 upregulation and activation of downstream effectors (MMP-3, IL-8)

Inverse dose-response relationship between Gal-3 levels and tumor aggressiveness

Implications for Gal-3 as a biomarker and therapeutic target

Special thanks to the Dimitroff Lab and collaborators at FIU, NYU, and Miami Cancer Institute for their pioneering work in translational glycobiology.

#glycobiology #galectins #Gal-3 #melanoma #NFAT1 #MMP3 #IL8 #metastasis #CancerResearch #scientificpodcast #GlycanScience #DimitroffLab

Mohammed, Norhan B. B., Lee Seng Lau, Joseph Souchak, Shi Qiu, Manmeet S. Ahluwalia, Iman Osman, and Charles J. Dimitroff. "Tumor-Intrinsic Galectin-3 Suppresses Melanoma Metastasis." Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2024).