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Mucins are biosynthesized, glycosylated, and stored in goblet cells
Mucins are heavily O-glycosylated , but can also be N-glycosylated , albeit much more sparsely
Lee et al. 2022 Journal of Microbiology 60(2) 215-223
Mucins produced by secretory goblet cells form the Mucosa / Mucous membrane and protect the underlying epithelial cells by physically shielding them from the luminal bolus
Targeting host mucin glycans reduces the intestinal mucus barrier and increases susceptibility to the enteric pathogen Citrobacter rodentium
The intestinal mucus layer plays a crucial role in safeguarding the epithelium from harmful agents, viruses, and pathogenic bacteria within the gastrointestinal tract. This protective layer is mainly composed of mucins, with mucin-2 (Muc2) being the most prevalent type, secreted by goblet cells in the intestine.
Two different types of mucins exist: secreted, or gel-forming mucins, and membrane-bound mucins
There are three gastrointestinal secreted mucins (Muc2, Muc5AC and Muc6) which are characteristically large, heavily O-glycosylated glycoproteins assembled into oligomers that contribute to the viscous properties of intestinal mucus layer
Cell surface mucins are large transmembrane glycoproteins involved in diverse functions ranging from shielding the airway epithelium against pathogenic infection to regulating cellular signaling and transcription
Mucins are secreted in large quantities in the intestinal tract and are a continuously host-produced source of carbon, energy, and nitrogen, particularly for the colonic microbiota
The major and most abundant secreted mucin in the small and large intestine is mucin-2
Very Large, Highly Glycosylated Molecules with Multiple Antigenic Epitopes for Monoclonal Antibody Binding