Immunohistochemical localization of galectin-3 in the pig retina during postnatal development.

Purpose: The differential level and localization of galectin-3 protein were examined in the retinas of two-day-old pigs and six-month-old pigs.

Methods: The retinas sampled from two-day-old and six-month-old pigs were analyzed by western blot and immunohistochemistry.

Results: western blot analysis detected galectin-3 in both age groups, although the levels were significantly higher in six-month-old pigs. Immunohistochemical staining showed that galectin-3 was localized in the retinas of both two-day-old pigs and six-month-old pigs; the galectin-3 immunostaining was more intense in the six-month-old pig retina, as shown in the western blot analysis. Galectin-3 was expressed in glial cells, particularly in glutamine synthetase-positive Müller cells and their processes, across all retina layers in both age groups; however, it was not found in ganglion cells of the ganglion cell layer or neuronal cells of the inner and outer nuclear cell layers in either age group.

Conclusions: This is the first demonstration that galectin-3 is detected in the retinas of two-day-old pigs and that the expression in Müller cells increases with postnatal development.