Galectin-1-mediated cell death is increased by CD30-induced signaling in anaplastic large cell lymphoma cells but not in Hodgkin lymphoma cells.

Endogenous ß-galactose-binding lectins have many biological functions, but their biological significance in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) remains unclear. By immunohistochemistry, we analyzed the expression of galectin-1 and galectin-3 in HL and ALCL cases as well as in cell lines, and investigated the pharmacological effects of galectin-1 treatment with and without CD30 pre-stimulation of HL and ALCL cell lines. The galectin-3-negative human embryonic kidney cell line (HEK-293) was transfected with galectin-3 cDNA. Galectin-3 is differentially expressed in HL and ALCL. CD30 stimulation of the ALCL cell line Karpas 299 activates NF-κB without induction of apoptosis. Galectin-1 treatment of Karpas 299 induces cell death, which is significantly increased by CD30 pre-stimulation. The CD30-mediated increase of galectin-1-induced cell death is to some extent caspase independent and does not influence the expression of tumor necrosis factor-associated factor 1 (TRAF1), TRAF2, and cellular inhibitor of apoptosis 2 protein (cIAP2), as revealed in Karpas 299 cells. In other cell lines except Karpas 299, CD30 pre-stimulation did not significantly enhance galectin-1-induced cell death. Galectin-3 transfection of HEK-293 cells resulted in cell surface expression of galectin-3, associated with marked cell aggregation. CD30-targeted therapy in combination with galectin-1 treatment may induce effective killing of ALCL cells but not of HL cells.