Our previous findings showed that galectin-1 (LGALS1) plays an important role in the in vitro invasion of normal human trophoblast cells. In the present study, choriocarcinoma JAr cells were found to express LGALS1, -2, -3, -8, -10, and -13 mRNA and at least LGALS1, -3, and -8 protein, as determined by reverse-transcriptase PCR and Western blot, respectively. The galectin mRNA signature of JAr cells thus differed from that of normal first-trimester extravillous trophoblasts. A Matrigel migration assay was also used to investigate and confirm the relevance and effect of LGALS1 on the invasive potential of JAr cells, as observed in other trophoblast models. This modulation in behavior was achieved by specific lectin-glycan binding.
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