Abstract
Galectin-3 is a member of the lectin subfamily that enables the specific binding of β-galactosides. It is expressed in a broad spectrum of species and organs, and is known to have various functions related to cell adhesion, signal transduction, and proinflammatory responses. Although, expression of galectin-3 in some activated neuroglia under neuroinflammation has been well documented in the central nervous system, little is known about the neuronal expression and distribution of galectin-3 in normal brain. To describe the cellular and neuroanatomical expression map of galectin-3, we performed galectin-3 immunohistochemistry on the entire normal rat brain and subsequently analyzed the neuronal distribution. Galectin-3 expression was observed not only in some neuroglia but also in neurons. Neuronal expression of galectin-3 was observed in many functional parts of the cerebral cortex and various other subcortical nuclei in the hypothalamus and brainstem. Neuroanatomical analysis revealed that robust galectin-3 immuno-signals were present in many hypothalamic nuclei related to a variety of physiological functions responsible for mediating anxiety responses, energy balance, and neuroendocrine regulation. In addition, the regions highly connected with these hypothalamic nuclei also showed intense galectin-3 expression. Moreover, multiple key regions involved in regulating autonomic functions exhibited high levels of galectin-3 expression. In contrast, the subcortical nuclei responsible for the control of voluntary motor functions and limbic system exhibited no galectin-3 immunoreactivity. These observations suggest that galectin-3 expression in the rat brain seems to be regulated by developmental cascades, and that functionally and neuroanatomically related brain nuclei constitutively express galectin-3 in adulthood.
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Acknowledgements
Grant sponsor: Institute for Information & Communications Technology Promotion (IITP) Grant funded by the Korean government (MSIP) (No. B01321510010003003, Next Imaging System XIS) and Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (NRF-2015R1D1A3A03020164). We would like to thank Editage (http://www.editage.co.kr) for English language editing.
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All authors had full access to all the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Study concept and design: HIY, TKB and DYS. Acquisition of data: EGK, EJL, SYH, and SJP. Analysis and interpretation of data: HIY and RSW. Drafting of the manuscript: MJH, CSY, and DYS. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: TKB and RSW. Obtained funding: TKB and DYS. Study supervision: TKB and DYS.
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Dae-Yong Song and Tai-Kyoung Baik have contributed equally to the work of this manuscript.
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Yoo, HI., Kim, EG., Lee, EJ. et al. Neuroanatomical distribution of galectin-3 in the adult rat brain. J Mol Hist 48, 133–146 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10735-017-9712-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10735-017-9712-9