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Examination of the Regulation of Galectin-3 Expression in Cancer

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Galectins

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1207))

Abstract

Galectin-3, a member of a β-galactoside-binding protein family, is involved in normal growth development as well as cancer progression and metastasis, but the detailed mechanisms of its functions or its transcriptional regulations are not well understood. Besides, several regulatory elements such as GC box, CRE motif, AP-1 site, and NF-κB sites, the promoter of galectin-3 gene (LGALS3) contains several CpG islands that can be methylated during tumorigenesis of prostate leading to the gene silencing. Here we describe protocols for identification of galectin-3 DNA methylation, suppression of DNA methyltransferases to reactivate galectin-3 expression, and development of methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MS-PCR) to assess galectin-3 expression in various biological specimens such as tissue, serum, and urine samples.

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Acknowledgments

The work carried out by us was supported by the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command grant W81XWH-07-1-0565, a start-up fund from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and the National Institute of Health Grants CA133935 and CA141970 to H.A.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, Greenebaum Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 701 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD, 21202, USA

    Hafiz Ahmed

  2. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 701 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD, 21202, USA

    Gargi Bandyopadhyaya

Authors
  1. Hafiz Ahmed
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  2. Gargi Bandyopadhyaya
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Correspondence to Hafiz Ahmed .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Transfusion and Cellular Therapies, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Sean R. Stowell

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, Georgia, USA

    Richard D. Cummings

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Ahmed, H., Bandyopadhyaya, G. (2015). Examination of the Regulation of Galectin-3 Expression in Cancer. In: Stowell, S., Cummings, R. (eds) Galectins. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1207. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1396-1_24

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1396-1_24

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-1395-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-1396-1

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