Galectins: A Personal Overview

Abstract

Galectins, the large and growing class of β-galactosidebinding proteins that are the subject of this special issue, were discovered in the context of prior studies of soluble lectins in plant seeds and in cellular slime molds. In this paper I will describe how the early work on galectins evolved from these antecedents as well as from an interest in the mechanism of neuronal recognition; and I will share a few personal reminiscences.