Role of galectin-glycan circuits in reproduction: from healthy pregnancy to preterm birth (PTB)

Growing evidence suggests that galectins, an evolutionarily conserved family of glycan-binding proteins, fulfill key roles in pregnancy including blastocyst implantation, maternal-fetal immune tolerance, placental development, and maternal vascular expansion, thereby establishing a healthy environme...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Blois, Sandra M., Verlohren, Stefan, Wu, Gang, Clark, Gary, Dell, Anne, Haslam, Stuart M., Barrientos, Gabriela Laura
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2020
País:Argentina
Institución:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/170102
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/170102
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:GALECTINS
GLYCANS
MICROBIAL INFECTIONS
PRETERM BIRTH
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/3.1
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/3
Descripción
Sumario:Growing evidence suggests that galectins, an evolutionarily conserved family of glycan-binding proteins, fulfill key roles in pregnancy including blastocyst implantation, maternal-fetal immune tolerance, placental development, and maternal vascular expansion, thereby establishing a healthy environment for the growing fetus. In this review, we comprehensively present the function of galectins in shaping cellular circuits that characterize a healthy pregnancy. We describe the current understanding of galectins in term and preterm labor and discuss how the galectin-glycan circuits contribute to key immunological pathways sustaining maternal tolerance and preventing microbial infections. A deeper understanding of the glycoimmune pathways regulating early events in preterm birth could offer the broader translational potential for the treatment of this devastating syndrome.