Galectin-9 in cancer therapy: from immune checkpoint ligand to promising therapeutic target

作者：Minpu Zhang, Cun Liu, Li Ye, Huayao Li, Wen‐Feng Zhang, Jingyang Liu, Liquan Wang, Changgang Sun · 发表于：Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.3389/fcell.2023.1332205 · 被引用次数：29 · 研究领域：Galectins and Cancer Biology、Toxin Mechanisms and Immunotoxins、Signaling Pathways in Disease

Galectin-9 (Gal-9) is a vital member of the galectin family, functioning as a multi-subtype galactose lectin with diverse biological roles. Recent research has revealed that Gal-9's interaction with tumors is an independent factor that influences tumor progression. Furthermore, Gal-9 in the immune microenvironment cross-talks with tumor-associated immune cells, informing the clarification of Gal-9's identity as an immune checkpoint. A thorough investigation into Gal-9's role in various cancer types and its interaction with the immune microenvironment could yield novel strategies for subsequent targeted immunotherapy. This review focuses on the latest advances in understanding the direct and indirect cross-talk between Gal-9 and hematologic malignancies, in addition to solid tumors. In addition, we discuss the prospects of Gal-9 in tumor immunotherapy, including its cross-talk with the ligand TIM-3 and its potential in immune-combination therapy.