{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,10]],"date-time":"2026-03-10T05:50:26Z","timestamp":1773121826784,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,25]],"date-time":"2024-11-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1732492800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003593","name":"Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient\u00edfico e Tecnol\u00f3gico","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003593","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002322","name":"Coordena\u00e7\u00e3o de Aperfei\u00e7oamento de Pessoal de N\u00edvel Superior","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002322","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004901","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o de Amparo \u00e0 Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004901","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a \u03b2-galactoside-binding lectin expressed in cells of the placental microenvironment. This lectin is involved in various biological processes, such as modulation of the immune system and control of parasitic illness. <jats:italic>Toxoplasma gondii<\/jats:italic> infection can lead to congenital transmission and cause miscarriages, prematurity and fetal anomalies. However, little is known about the role of Gal-3 in <jats:italic>T. gondii<\/jats:italic> infection in the placental microenvironment. This study aimed to unravel the underlying mechanisms of Gal-3 during <jats:italic>T. gondii<\/jats:italic> infection. For this purpose, we promoted the knockdown of Gal-3 expression by using RNA interference (RNAi) in BeWo cells or by using a synthetic inhibitor (GB1107) in human villous explants. We showed that the decreased Gal-3 expression in BeWo cells and human villous explants increases the invasion and proliferation of <jats:italic>T. gondii<\/jats:italic> probably by downregulating MIF and IL6 levels, highlighting thus the role of this lectin in modulating the immune response. Collectively, our study reveals Gal-3 as a promising target protein during congenital toxoplasmosis.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fcimb.2024.1459810","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,25]],"date-time":"2024-11-25T06:24:52Z","timestamp":1732515892000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Galectin-3 plays a key role in controlling infection by Toxoplasma gondii in human trophoblast cells and human villous explants"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Luana Carvalho","family":"Luz","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mayara","family":"Ribeiro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Samuel Cota","family":"Teixeira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Guilherme","family":"de Souza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marina","family":"Paschoalino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Daniel Pereira","family":"Sousa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alessandra Monteiro","family":"Rosini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Natalia Carine Lima","family":"dos Santos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rafael Martins","family":"de Oliveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Joed Pires","family":"de Lima J\u00fanior","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Izadora Santos","family":"Damasceno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marcos Paulo Oliveira","family":"Almeida","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Matheus Carvalho","family":"Barbosa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Celene Maria de Oliveira Sim\u00f5es","family":"Alves","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Claudio Vieira","family":"da Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Bellisa Freitas","family":"Barbosa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Eloisa Am\u00e1lia Vieira","family":"Ferro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"378","DOI":"10.1007\/s10393-019-01405-7","article-title":"The one health approach to toxoplasmosis: epidemiology, control, and prevention strategies","volume":"16","author":"Aguirre","year":"2019","journal-title":"Ecohealth"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"475","DOI":"10.1016\/j.imbio.2009.08.001","article-title":"Galectin-3 plays a modulatory role in the life span and activation of murine neutrophils during early Toxoplasma gondii infection","volume":"215","author":"Alves","year":"2010","journal-title":"Immunobiology"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"210","DOI":"10.1017\/s0031182012001473","article-title":"Galectin-3 is essential for reactive oxygen species production by peritoneal neutrophils from mice infected with a virulent strain of Toxoplasma gondii","volume":"140","author":"Alves","year":"2013","journal-title":"Parasitology"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"82","DOI":"10.1095\/biolreprod.114.124115","article-title":"IL10, TGF beta1, and IFN gamma modulate intracellular signaling pathways and cytokine production to control Toxoplasma gondii infection in BeWo trophoblast cells","volume":"92","author":"Barbosa","year":"2015","journal-title":"Biol. 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