Changes between the main types of mucins in goblet cells and colonic microbiota obese rats were studied. Paraffin histological slides colon control stained with periodic Schiff (to visualize all cells), alcian blue pH 2.5 acidic mucins), aldehyde fuschin sulphomucins), distinguish neutral sialo- sulphomucins). Also, composition feces was determined on selective differential media. It has been s...

Mucins are large glycoproteins characterized by mucin domains that show little sequence conservation and are rich in the amino acids Ser, Thr, and Pro. To effectively predict mucins from genomic and protein sequences obtained from genome projects, we developed a strategy based on the amino acid compositional bias characteristic of the mucin domains. This strategy is combined with an analysis of...

Membrane-anchored mucins are present in the apical surface glycocalyx of mucosal epithelial cells, each mucosal epithelium having at least two of the mucins. The mucins have been ascribed barrier functions, but direct comparisons of their functions within the same epithelium have not been done. In an epithelial cell line that expresses the membrane-anchored mucins, MUC1 and MUC16, the mucins we...

Mucins in the gastric mucus layer carry a range of glycan structures, which vary between individuals, can have antimicrobial effect or act as ligands for Helicobacter pylori. Mucins from various individuals and disease states modulate H. pylori proliferation and adhesin gene expression differently. Here we investigate the relationship between adhesin mediated binding, aggregation, proliferation...

PURPOSE Contact lens wear alters the preocular fluid through factors that include tear deposits on the lens. In the current study, lens-adherent material was extracted to assess whether contact lenses sample mucins from the preocular fluid. METHODS Discarded extended-wear contact lenses were collected from patients with no ocular surface disease. Mucins were extracted in guanidine hydrochlori...

Mucins have been implicated in circumventing the defenses of the body against tumorigenesis. A better understanding of the structures of mucins may assist in the development of new therapeutic approaches. Monoclonal antibody Ea6, developed against mucins purified from xenografts of the pancreatic cancer cell line SW1990, was used to identify a new type of pancreatic cancer mucin. The following ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Helicobacter pylori locate not only on the apical surface of surface mucous cells but also in the mucous gel layer covering the gastric mucosa. The present study was undertaken to observe the mucous gel layer itself and any H pylori in this layer at the electron microscopic level, and to determine whether H pylori proliferate in this layer. METHODS We examined resected hum...

Airway mucins, the major component of airway mucus or apical surface fluid that covers the entire surface of the airways, have been shown to possess multi-factorial functions that are necessary for first line defense, the major function of airway mucus. In this mini-review, I will provide some evidence, both theoretical and experimental, that the multi-factorial functions of airway mucins are m...

Helicobacter pylori colonizes the mucus niche of the gastric mucosa and is a risk factor for gastritis, ulcers and cancer. The main components of the mucus layer are heavily glycosylated mucins, to which H. pylori can adhere. Mucin glycosylation differs between individuals and changes during disease. Here we have examined the H. pylori response to purified mucins from a range of tumor and norma...

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most lethal genetic disorder in Caucasians and is characterized by the production of excessive amounts of viscous mucus secretions in the airways of patients, leading to airway obstruction, chronic bacterial infections, and respiratory failure. Previous studies indicate that CF-derived airway mucins are glycosylated and sulfated differently compared with mucins from ...