| Popis: |
Galectins are family of β-galactosidase binding proteins that serve many functions in all kind of mammalian cells. In the past years galectins, namely galectin-1 and galectin-3, have been revealed to play a major role in various cancer processes including cancer cell invasiveness, a process indispensable for the formation of metastasis. Both extracellular and intracellular forms of galectins modify the process of invasiveness in various ways, through interacting with different components of the cell or of the cell signalling pathways. The aim of this bachelor's thesis is to summarize mechanisms by which galectins promote cancer cell invasiveness. Keywords: galectins, galectin-1, galectin-3, invasiveness, cancer, metastasis |
