抄録
Galectin-1 belongs to a family of lectins and is expressed in many tissues such as placenta, liver, skeletal and smooth muscle. Galectin-1 is thought to be a versatile modulator, however, biological significance in its expression of human placenta remains unclear in detail. Galectin family is so far known to consist of 14 members of proteins on the basis of amino acids sequence. We made a monoclonal antibody, Gal3D11, against human galectin-1 and characterized the epitope using immunoblotting, high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The epitope of this monoclonal antibody localized 29-44 amino acid residues in the N-terminal region of galectin-1. In this study, we used the antibody to clarify the expression of galectin-1 in various stages of placental development. We found that galectin-1 was expressed specifically in trophoblastic cells especially in syncytiotrophoblast cells through first, second to third trimester of placenta. It suggests galectin-1 plays an important role during development of placenta. This monoclonal antibody, Gal3D11 would be indispensable for further study to clarify the function of galectin-1 in various tissues. [Jpn J Physiol 54 Suppl:S222 (2004)]
