Galectin-1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the LGALS1 gene.The galectins are a family of beta-galactoside-binding proteins implicated in modulating cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. LGALS1 may act as an autocrine negative growth factor that regulates cell proliferation.Baldini et al. stated that the mouse beta-galactoside-binding protein is an autocrine regulator of cell proliferation with a role in the maintenance of G0 and in the control of G2 traverse. They found that galectin-1 was expressed in a subset of slowly dividing subventricular zone astrocytes, which included the neural stem cells. Intraventricular infusion experiments and phenotypic analysis of knockout mice showed that galectin-1 was an endogenous factor that promoted the proliferation of neural stem cells in adult mouse brain. The standard product used in this kit is recombinant mouse GALECTIN-1, Ala2-Glu135, with the molecular mass of 15KDa.
