Horses frequently suffer from respiratory diseases, which, irrespective of etiology, are often associated with airway mucus accumulation. Studies on human airways have shown that the key structural components of the mucus layer are oligomeric mucins, which can undergo changes of expression and properties in disease. However, there is little information on these gel-forming glycoproteins in hors...

Pig gastric mucins were isolated from the surface epithelium of the cardiac region, corpus and antrum using density-gradient centrifugation after extraction in 6 M guanidinium chloride. In CsCl/0.5 M guanidinium chloride, mucins solubilized from the cardiac region appeared as a broad unimodal band at 1.52 g/ml whereas those from the corpus and antrum occurred as high- and low-density population...

In this study, we present the interaction of mucins with proteins or polymers and its impact on the conformation, surface adsorption, and lubrication properties at a self-mated sliding contact of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) in aqueous solutions. Due to its unique amphiphilicity, mucins are known to spontaneously adsorb onto hydrophobic surfaces and possibly lubricate them in aqueous environme...

The cells of living organisms in contact with the external environment are constantly attacked by different kinds of substances such as micro-organisms, toxins, and pollutants. With evolution, defense mechanisms, such as the secretion of mucus has been developed. Mucins are the main components of mucus. They are synthesized and secreted by specialized cells of the epithelium and in some case, b...

The interaction of secretory leucocyte proteinase inhibitor with bronchial mucins and glycopeptides was studied by means of c.d. spectroscopy. The interaction with mucins was characterized by an increase in organized structure of alpha-helical type, as evidenced by the appearance in the difference spectra of two positive bands at 208 and 218 nm. This phenomenon was correlated with the amount of...

Colonization by Staphylococcus aureus is frequently observed in obstructive lung diseases, particularly in cystic fibrosis. It has been shown that the bacteria bind to mucins, the main constituent of bronchial secretions. The binding mechanism, however, remains unclear. We have investigated the interactions of two strains of S. aureus, one mucoid and one nonmucoid, with human bronchial mucins. ...

Mucosal surfaces line our body cavities and provide the interaction surface between commensal and pathogenic microbiota and the host. The barrier function of the mucosal layer is largely maintained by gel-forming mucin proteins that are secreted by goblet cells. In addition, mucosal epithelial cells express cell-bound mucins that have both barrier and signaling functions. The family of transmem...

Mucins are high molecular weight glycoproteins produced by goblet cells and secreted on mucosal surfaces. We investigated biochemical and histochemical properties of intestinal mucins of virus- and parasite-free common carp Cyprinus carpio in response to a single peroral application of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide = LPS). Intracellular mucins were quantified histochemically by their carbohydra...

Little is known about whether the properties of respiratory mucins are altered as a result of airway irritation, but histochemical studies of respiratory tract secretory cells show a more 'acidic' staining pattern after exposure to tobacco smoke. Furthermore it has been suggested that proteoglycans are the major glycoconjugates in 'normal' respiratory secretions, whereas mucins predominate in s...

BACKGROUND Mucins are large, hydrophilic glycoproteins that protect wet-surfaced epithelia from pathogen invasion as well as provide lubrication. At least 17 mucin genes have been cloned to date. This study sought to determine the mucin gene expression profile of the human male urogenital tract epithelia, to determine if mucins are present in seminal fluid and to assess the effect of androgens ...