Figure 2.

Reconciling the relationship between galectin-7 with wt and mutant p53. In normal cells harboring wt p53 alleles, galectin-7 is induced by de novo expression induced by wt p53 following stress signals. This pathway is also active in some cancer types, such as colon cancer [16]. Expression of nuclear galectin-7 may then regulate the cell cycle and/or DNA repair. In cancer cells with intrinsic resistance to cell death, galectin-7 can be induced by a gain-of-function (GOF) mechanism via mutant p53, shifting the balance towards the pro-tumorigenic role of galectin-7.5. The galectin-7–MMP-9 relationship in cancer.