The intracellular and extracellular
activity of Gal-1 has been described. Evidence points to Gal-1
and its ligands as one of the master regulators of such
immune responses as T-cell homeostasis and survival, T-cell
immune disorders, inflammation and allergies as well as host–
pathogen interactions. Gal-1 expression or overexpression in
tumors and/or the tissue surrounding them must be considered
as a sign of the malignant tumor progression that is often related
to the long-range dissemination of tumoral cells (metastasis),
to their dissemination into the surrounding normal tissue, and
to tumor immune-escape. Gal-1 in its oxidized form plays a
number of important roles in the regeneration of the central
nervous system after injury. The targeted overexpression (or
delivery) of Gal-1 should be considered as a method of choice
for the treatment of some kinds of inflammation-related
diseases, neurodegenerative pathologies and muscular dystrophies.
In contrast, the targeted inhibition of Gal-1 expression is
what should be developed for therapeutic applications against
cancer progression. Gal-1 is thus a promising molecular target
for the development of new and original therapeutic tools.