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Galectin-3 Enhances The Malignant Melanoma Phenotype By Regulating Autotaxin, Russell R. Braeuer

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

In melanoma patient specimens and cell lines, the over expression of galectin-3 is associated with disease progression and metastatic potential. Herein, we have sought out to determine whether galectin-3 affects the malignant melanoma phenotype by regulating downstream target genes. To that end, galectin-3 was stably silenced by utilizing the lentivirus-incorporated small hairpin RNA in two metastatic melanoma cell lines, WM2664 and A375SM, and subjected to gene expression microarray analysis. We identified and validated the lysophospholipase D enzyme, autotaxin, a promoter of migration, invasion, and tumorigenesis, to be down regulated after silencing galectin-3. Silencing galectin-3 significantly reduced the promoter activity of …