Role and regulation of galectin-12 in the context of cellular differentiation
Abstract
Galectin-12 is a tissue-specific galectin known for governing adipocyte differentiation and the regulation of lipogenesis. This study aimed to evaluate the role of galectin-12 in the differentiation of myeloid and breast cancer cell lines. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) were found to differentiate acute myeloid leukemia HL-60 cells into functionally distinct phenotypes of neutrophils which had opposite changes in LGALS12. Neutrophilic differentiation also led to the inhibition of galectin-12 secretion, and an increase in lipid droplet accumulation. Galectin-12 secretion was found to be influenced by a modulator of autophagy, suggesting the involvement of secretory autophagy. Galectin-12 (LGALS12) gene expression and secretion levels were also found to be O-GlcNAc-independent. In breast cancer cell lines, a subtype-specific upregulation of LGALS12 was observed upon ATRA-induced differentiation in triple negative (basal B) MDA-MB-231 cells. These findings point to the role of galectin-12 as a tissue-specific biomarker of cellular differentiation.