Galectin-1 identifies a unique subpopulation of highly invasive glioblastoma cells and enables their migration.

Galectin-1–high glioblastoma cells isolated from patient-derived in vitro tumor–brain interface models preferentially migrate across stiffness interfaces, with invasion rate positively correlated to galectin-1 expression.

• Why it matters: Intratumoral heterogeneity in glioblastoma makes it hard to pinpoint invasive subpopulations that drive infiltration, especially at the tumor–brain mechanical boundary.
• What they did: The study used an in vitro mechanical transition model to isolate highly invasive GBM cells, then applied single-cell RNA sequencing with cell barcodes to trace migration lineages and identify an invasive subpopulation.
• The result: The invasive subpopulation showed galectin-1 overexpression, and blocking galectin-1 binding to cell surface glycoproteins prevented migration, enabling identification and targeting of invading GBM cells.

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