摘要：AIM:Increasing evidence suggests that carbohydrate-binding proteins play an essential role in tumor growth and metastasis .Ga-lectin-3, a multifunctional protein of an expanding family of β-galactoside-binding animal lectins , is the major nonintegrin cellular laminin-binding protein , and is implicated in a variety of biologic events , such as inflammation and angiogenesis .Because galectin-3 expression was shown to participate in mediating tumor angiogenesis and initiate signaling cascades in several diseases .We hypothe-sized that galectin-3 may promote pulmonary vascular endothelial neovascularization .METHODS:Hypoxic and MCT rat model of pul-monary artery remodeling was used .The mRNA and protein levels of galectin-3 in rats were measured by in situ hybrization and West-ern blot analysis.Endothelial cell (EC) proliferation, migration and tube formation were measured using MTT , cell scratch and Matri-gel assays, respectively.Protein expression was quantitated by Western blot analysis .LC 3A/B staining was detected with cellular im-munofluorescence staining .RESULTS:We found that galectin-3 was localized on the intima and adventitial wall .Galectin-3 was in-creased after rat hypoxia and MCT administration .Galectin-3 promoted EC proliferation , migration and tube formation , while its roles were reversed by RNA interference.Galectin-3 induced Atg 5, Beclin-1, LAMP-2, and LC 3A/B expression increases.Galectin-3 al-so increased LC 3A/B staining in ECs.Akt/mTOR and GSK-3βsignaling pathways were activated after galectin-3 treated ECs using its specific phosphorylation antibodies , while blocked it with LY294002 inhibited cell autophagy and EC dynamic alterations induced by galectin-3.CONCLUSION:These findings demonstrate that galectin-3 can induce an Akt signaling cascade leading to cell autoph-agy, and then the differentiation and angiogenesis of pulmonary artery endothelial cells .