The galectins are a family of soluble carbohydrate-binding proteins defined by their affinity towards β- galactoside containing glycoconjugates. All galectins contain conserved carbohydrate recognition domains (CRDs) of about 135 amino acids, which are the responsible portion for the specificity of galectins towards carbohydrate binding. The 15 mammalian proteins are widely spread throughout the nature from plants to invertebrates. The galectins are involve to control wide range of important biological mechanisms, such as intracellular trafficking, cell signaling, apoptosis, cell adhesion, and these activities in turn play an important roles in inflammation, immunity and cancer progression.
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