在半乳糖凝集素家族中，一组凝集素通过其进化上保守的碳水化合物识别域结合在一起。这些多肽在各种细胞过程中发挥作用，并与癌症、纤维化、感染和炎症等疾病机制有关。在细胞质中合成后，半乳糖凝集素在细胞外和细胞内的多种相互作用已被描述。细胞外半乳糖凝集素经常以碳水化合物依赖性方式与糖蛋白或糖脂结合。在细胞内，半乳糖凝集素与位于不同细胞区室中的非糖基化蛋白质结合，每个区室具有多种细胞功能。这种多样性使得全面了解半乳糖凝集素分子在细胞内的作用的尝试变得复杂。本综述列举了细胞内半乳糖凝集素相互作用伙伴并概述了它们在细胞过程中的参与。通过对免疫细胞和癌细胞中细胞内半乳糖凝集素组装的讨论，说明了半乳糖凝集素功能和病理机制之间的复杂联系。这强调了充分理解半乳糖凝集素与细胞机制的相互作用的迫切需要，并设计旨在抵消基于半乳糖凝集素的疾病机制的建立的治疗策略。© 2024。作者。

In the galectin family, a group of lectins is united by their evolutionarily conserved carbohydrate recognition domains. These polypeptides play a role in various cellular processes and are implicated in disease mechanisms such as cancer, fibrosis, infection, and inflammation. Following synthesis in the cytosol, manifold interactions of galectins have been described both extracellularly and intracellularly. Extracellular galectins frequently engage with glycoproteins or glycolipids in a carbohydrate-dependent manner. Intracellularly, galectins bind to non-glycosylated proteins situated in distinct cellular compartments, each with multiple cellular functions. This diversity complicates attempts to form a comprehensive understanding of the role of galectin molecules within the cell. This review enumerates intracellular galectin interaction partners and outlines their involvement in cellular processes. The intricate connections between galectin functions and pathomechanisms are illustrated through discussions of intracellular galectin assemblies in immune and cancer cells. This underscores the imperative need to fully comprehend the interplay of galectins with the cellular machinery and to devise therapeutic strategies aimed at counteracting the establishment of galectin-based disease mechanisms.© 2024. The Author(s).