JCI - Critical role of galectin-3 in phagocytosis by macrophages

Critical role of galectin-3 in phagocytosis by macrophages

Hideki Sano, Daniel K. Hsu, John R. Apgar, Lan Yu, Bhavya B. Sharma, Ichiro Kuwabara, Shozo Izui, Fu-Tong Liu

J Clin Invest. 2003; 112(3):389–397 doi:10.1172/JCI17592

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Figure 1

Delayed phagocytosis of IgG-opsonized erythrocytes by gal3^–/– macrophages in vitro. (a) After opsonized srbc’s were added to cultured BMMΦ at 4°C, synchronized phagocytosis was initiated by raising the temperature of the cultures to 37°C. After the indicated time periods, unbound srbc’s were removed and the cells were fixed for phase-contrast microscopy. (b) Phagocytic function was quantified by counting internalized srbc’s in more than 300 macrophages and the phagocytic index was calculated. Each data point represents the mean ± SD from five experiments. (c) Unsynchronized phagocytosis assays in BMMΦ were performed at 37°C for 20 minutes. Data are presented as mean ± SD from five high power fields and are representative of two experiments. P < 0.01 by Mann-Whitney U analysis between the genotypes. (d) Phagocytosis assays were performed as in a after staining of rbc’s with FITC-albumin at the time of opsonization. After 30 minutes, cells were harvested, washed, and subjected to flow cytometric analysis. Results shown are representative of six experiments.