As Gal-9 is involved in pancreatic carcinoma and Lamp2 is also associated with pancreatitis10,26,63, we investigated whether Gal-9 has a function in the homeostasis of pancreatic acinar cells, which, similar to intestinal Paneth cells, are an autophagy-active secretory cell type. This evidence concerns the gene LGALS9 and exocrine pancreatic carcinoma.