Galectin-4
protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens
Galectin-4 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the LGALS4 gene.
The galectins are a family of beta-galactoside-binding proteins implicated in modulating cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. LGALS4 is an S-type lectin that is strongly underexpressed in colorectal cancer. The 323-amino acid LGALS4 protein contains two homologous, approximately 150-amino acid carbohydrate recognition domains and all amino acids typically conserved in galectins.
Nomenclature
Recommended name:Galectin-4, Short name: Gal-4 Alternative name(s):
Antigen NY-CO-27
L-36 lactose-binding protein, Short name: L36L
Lactose-binding lectin 4
Tissue distribution
Gal-4 is highly expressed in the stomach and intestine.
Structure
Gal 4 belongs to the family of galectin. Among various structure of galectins like dimeric, tandem or chimera, Gal-4 is tandem in its structure, so they contains at least two distinct carbohydrate recognising domains (CRD) within one polypeptide, thus are said to be intrinsically divalent. The CRDs are linked with a small peptide domain.
Function
Gal-4 has binding ability with high affinity to lipid rafts suggesting a role in protein delivery to cells
Plus they can perform the following Physiological functions:
Gal-4 enhances the stabilization of lipid raft
Gal-4 participates in apical trafficking
Gal-4 has bactericidal activity against bacteria expressing blood group antigen
Gal-4 promotes intestinal wound healing
Gal-4 promotes growth of axon and myelination in neuron
Clinical significance
Cancer
Gal-4 which has been detected in many cancer has involved in association with the development and sequence of pancreatic carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, Colorectal cancer (CRC), breast carcinoma, gastric cancer, and lung cancer (Rechreche et al., 1997; Hippo et al., 2001; Hayashi et al., 2013; Belo et al., 2013; Cai et al., 2014). After all, it plays contradictory roles in different type of cancer cell.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Galectin-4” is protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Galectin-4, protein-coding and gene, not as a finished interpretation.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q18028534. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1997, 2001, 2013 and 2014.
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This entry incorporates text from “Galectin-4” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.