Análise do secretoma das células de carcinoma mamário silenciadas para galectina-3

Abstract

Breast cancer has a high incidence among women and remains one of the major global public health challenges. Galectin-3, a multifunctional lectin with affinity for β-galactosides, plays a role in breast tumors due to its ability to mediate cell–cell and cell–extracellular matrix interactions. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of Galectin-3 silencing in 4T1 murine breast carcinoma cells by analyzing their secretome in comparison to control cells. The results indicate that Galectin-3 silencing led to increased cell migration and changes in adhesion molecules such as versican, suggesting a modulatory role in tumor biology. Proteins with reduced expression in the silenced lineage were associated with hexose and glucose metabolism, showing strong interactions with Eno1, AldoA, AldoC, and GAPDH, which are key enzymes in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. In contrast, proteins such as MMP3, MMP10, THBS1, and DAG-1 were upregulated, indicating potential involvement in extracellular matrix remodeling and metastatic progression. These findings demonstrate, for the first time, that Galectin-3 silencing significantly alters the secretome of 4T1 cells, promoting metastatic features, as evidenced by both in vitro and in vivo assays.