We took advantage of Gal-3 knockout mice and immunized them with a mimotope of the major mitochondrial autoantigen of PBC, 2-octynoic acid (2-OA) coupled to BSA (2OA-BSA) and evaluated the natural history of subsequent disease, compared to control wild-type mice, by measuring levels of antibodies to PDC-E2, immunohistology of liver, and expression of Gal-3. Here, LGALS3 is linked to primary biliary cholangitis.