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  • Title: Expression of galectin-3 in the rat pancreas during regeneration following hormone-induced pancreatitis.
    Author: Gebhardt A, Ackermann W, Unver N, Elsässer HP.
    Journal: Cell Tissue Res; 2004 Mar; 315(3):321-9. PubMed ID: 14747941.
    Abstract:
    Supramaximal dosage of the cholecystokinin analog caerulein leads to edematous pancreatitis with subsequent acinar cell destruction predominantly by apoptosis. We have used immunohistochemistry to reveal the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein galectin-3 in pancreatic acinar cells. Galectin-3, which occurs only in duct cells under physiological conditions, is expressed in a subset of acinar cells after the end of a 12-h caerulein infusion, giving rise to a "patchy" staining pattern. During the subsequent period of inflammation and regeneration, galectin-3 expression increases in those acinar cells that undergo apoptosis. By 48 h after the end of caerulein infusion, morphologically normal cells do not contain galectin-3 and participate in regeneration by proliferation. Tubular complexes, being transient structures from degenerative acini, accumulate galectin-3 in the remnants of the epithelium cells. Stimulation with supramaximal dosages of caerulein of the cell line AR4-2J, which is derived from rat pancreatic acinar cells, also results in a marked increase of galectin-3, confirming the in vivo results. We postulate that the high expression of the anti-apoptotic protein galectin-3 regulates the time course of the apoptotic process in pancreatic acinar cells.
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