protein_function: This protein binds beta-galactoside. Its physiologicalfunction is not yet known.
Galectin-2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the LGALS2 gene. It is mapped to 22q13.1. The protein encoded by this gene is a soluble beta-galactoside binding lectin. The encoded protein is found as a homodimer and can bind to lymphotoxin-alpha. It has been found that a single-nucleotide polymorphism in Galectin-2 is significantly associated with susceptibility to myocardial infarction. This genetic substitution affects the transcriptional level of Galectin-2 in vitro, potentially leading to altered secretion of LTA, to which Galectin-2 binds, which would then affect the degree of inflammation.