The galectins are a family of beta-galactoside-binding proteins implicated in modulating cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. LGALS4 is an S-type lectin that is strongly underexpressed in colorectal cancer. The 323-amino acid LGALS4 protein contains two homologous, approximately 150-amino acid carbohydrate recognition domains and all amino acids typically conserved in galectins.[6]