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Galectin-3, a rising star in modulating microglia activation under conditions of neurodegeneration
García-Revilla J, Boza-Serrano A, Espinosa-Oliva AM, Soto MS, Deierborg T, Ruiz R, de Pablos RM, Burguillos MA et al.. Cell death & disease, 2022-07-20
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
The advent of high-throughput single-cell transcriptomic analysis of microglia has revealed different phenotypes that are inherently associated with disease conditions. A common feature of some of these activated phenotypes is the upregulation of galectin-3. Representative examples of these phenotypes include disease-associated microglia (DAM) and white-associated microglia (WAM), whose role(s) in neuroprotection/neurotoxicity is a matter of high interest in the microglia community.
Key findings
- A common feature of some of these activated phenotypes is the upregulation of galectin-3.
- Representative examples of these phenotypes include disease-associated microglia (DAM) and white-associated microglia (WAM), whose role(s) in neuroprotection/neurotoxicity is a matter of high interest in the microglia community.
- In this review, we summarise the main findings that demonstrate the ability of galectin-3 to interact with key pattern recognition receptors, including, among others, TLR4 and TREM2 and the importance of galectin-3 in the regulation of microglia activation.
- Finally, we discuss increasing evidence supporting the involvement of this lectin in the main neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, and stroke.
Why it matters
This review summarizes evidence that galectin-3 is upregulated in activated microglial phenotypes such as disease-associated microglia and interacts with receptors including TLR4 and TREM2. It discusses possible roles in neuroprotection or neurotoxicity but reports no treatment or cure.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 49/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Cell death & disease) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Cell Death and Disease: journal h-index 233 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2022 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 153 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 25.5 citations a year over 6 year(s) since 2022 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 9.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 136 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Jose Luis Venero: h-index 49 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Lund University: institution h-index 1,119 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 35859075) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 49 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.1038/s41419-022-05058-3
- PubMed: 35859075
- Original source →
- Free full text: Cell Death and Disease →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
García-Revilla, J., Boza-Serrano, A., Espinosa-Oliva, A. M., Soto, M. S., Deierborg, T., Ruiz, R., et al. (2022). Galectin-3, a rising star in modulating microglia activation under conditions of neurodegeneration. Cell death & disease. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-022-05058-3
Vancouver
García-Revilla J, Boza-Serrano A, Espinosa-Oliva AM, Soto MS, Deierborg T, Ruiz R, et al. Galectin-3, a rising star in modulating microglia activation under conditions of neurodegeneration. Cell death & disease. 2022. doi:10.1038/s41419-022-05058-3. PMID: 35859075.
BibTeX
@article{garciarevilla2022-35859075,
author = {García-Revilla, J. and Boza-Serrano, A. and Espinosa-Oliva, A. M. and Soto, M. S. and Deierborg, T. and Ruiz, R. and de Pablos, R. M. and Burguillos, M. A. and others},
title = {{Galectin-3, a rising star in modulating microglia activation under conditions of neurodegeneration}},
journal = {Cell death \& disease},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.1038/s41419-022-05058-3},
pmid = {35859075},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-022-05058-3}
}
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