Galectin-3 is a soluble endogenous lectin in vertebrates and is implicated in a variety of biological functions, including tumor cell adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, cancer progression and metastasis. In the present study, we analyzed the role of galectin-3 in apoptosis in human malignant lymphoma. Galectin-3 induced cell death in the HBL-2 human diffuse large B cell lymphoma cell line. A morphological examination and annexin V assays revealed that galectin-3-induced cell death is consistent with apoptosis and swainsonine, a potent inhibitor of α-mannosidase II, which catalyzes the synthesis of complex type N-linked oligosaccharides, inhibited galectin-3-induced apoptosis in HBL-2 cells. These results suggest that galectin-3 induces apoptosis in HBL-2 cells by interacting with cell surface N-linked oligosaccharides. Furthermore, treatment of cells with Vibrio Cholerae neuraminidase enhanced galectin-3-induced apoptosis, suggesting that cell surface sialylation regulates galectin-3-induced apoptosis in human B cell lymphoma. In conclusion, our results indicate that galectin-3-induced apoptosis is regulated by cell surface expression of N-glycans and sialic acid in human diffuse large B cell lymphoma. This mechanism may be involved in the malignant behavior of human lymphoma cells.

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