Galectin-9: An anticancer molecule for gallbladder carcinoma

  • Authors:
    • Tomoko Tadokoro
    • Asahiro Morishita
    • Shintaro Fujihara
    • Hisakazu Iwama
    • Toshiro Niki
    • Koji Fujita
    • Emiko Akashi
    • Shima Mimura
    • Kyoko Oura
    • Teppei Sakamoto
    • Takako Nomura
    • Joji Tani
    • Hisaaki Miyoshi
    • Hirohito Yoneyama
    • Takashi Himoto
    • Mitsuomi Hirashima
    • Tsutomu Masaki
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: January 19, 2016     https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.2016.3347
  • Pages: 1165-1174
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Abstract

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is the most common and aggressive type of biliary tract cancer. There are various histological types of GBC, and the vast majority of GBC cases are adenocarcinomas. Squamous and adenosquamous carcinomas are rare GBC subtypes that are traditionally considered to be more aggressive and to be associated with a poorer prognosis than adenocarcinoma. Galectin-9 (Gal-9), a tandem-repeat-type galectin, has been reported to induce apoptosis-mediated elimination of various cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, and hematologic malignancies. Therefore, we investigated the antitumor effects of Gal-9 on GBC in vitro and in vivo. In our in vitro experiments, Gal-9 suppressed cell proliferation in various GBC cell lines but not in the OCUG-1 cell line, which represents a poorly differentiated type of adenosquamous carcinoma. Gal-9 induced the apoptosis of Gal-9-sensitive GBC cells by increasing the levels of caspase-cleaved keratin 18 and phosphorylated p53. However, Gal-9 did not affect the expression of various cell cycle-related proteins. In addition, Gal-9 suppressed tumor growth by implanted human GBC cells in a xenograft model. Furthermore, Gal-9 induced the phosphorylation of the Ephrin type-B receptor, and the microRNA (miRNA) expression profile was markedly altered by Gal-9. Based on these results, various miRNAs might contribute to the suppression of tumor growth. Our data reveal that Gal-9 suppresses the growth of GBC, possibly by inducing apoptosis and altering miRNA expression. Thus, Gal-9 might serve as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of GBC.
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March-2016
Volume 48 Issue 3

Print ISSN: 1019-6439
Online ISSN:1791-2423

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Spandidos Publications style
Tadokoro T, Morishita A, Fujihara S, Iwama H, Niki T, Fujita K, Akashi E, Mimura S, Oura K, Sakamoto T, Sakamoto T, et al: Galectin-9: An anticancer molecule for gallbladder carcinoma. Int J Oncol 48: 1165-1174, 2016.
APA
Tadokoro, T., Morishita, A., Fujihara, S., Iwama, H., Niki, T., Fujita, K. ... Masaki, T. (2016). Galectin-9: An anticancer molecule for gallbladder carcinoma. International Journal of Oncology, 48, 1165-1174. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.2016.3347
MLA
Tadokoro, T., Morishita, A., Fujihara, S., Iwama, H., Niki, T., Fujita, K., Akashi, E., Mimura, S., Oura, K., Sakamoto, T., Nomura, T., Tani, J., Miyoshi, H., Yoneyama, H., Himoto, T., Hirashima, M., Masaki, T."Galectin-9: An anticancer molecule for gallbladder carcinoma". International Journal of Oncology 48.3 (2016): 1165-1174.
Chicago
Tadokoro, T., Morishita, A., Fujihara, S., Iwama, H., Niki, T., Fujita, K., Akashi, E., Mimura, S., Oura, K., Sakamoto, T., Nomura, T., Tani, J., Miyoshi, H., Yoneyama, H., Himoto, T., Hirashima, M., Masaki, T."Galectin-9: An anticancer molecule for gallbladder carcinoma". International Journal of Oncology 48, no. 3 (2016): 1165-1174. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.2016.3347