The significance of mucins in cancers has led to the development of novel biomarkers and therapeutic agents against cancers. Despite significant advances in the understanding of mucins, systemic investigations into the role of mucins in cancer biology focusing particularly on the histological subtypes and stages, along with other variables, are yet to be carried out to discover potential novel ...

BACKGROUND Mucin hypersecretion and mucus plugging in the airways are characteristic features of chronic respiratory diseases like cystic fibrosis (CF) and contribute to morbidity and mortality. In CF, Pseudomonas aeruginosa superinfections in the lung exacerbate inflammation and alter mucus properties. There is increasing evidence that n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) exhibit anti-infla...

Normally a thin layer of mucus covers the surface of the gastrointestinal tract protecting the epithelial cells from their environment. In cystic fibrosis (CF), mucus accumulation is abnormally high, resulting in severe intestinal obstruction. The major structural components of mucus are large mucin glycoproteins. We determined specific mucin RNA and protein expression in the gastrointestinal t...

The mucin gene MUC1, is expressed in a number of human ductal epithelia in vivo including those within the pancreas, mammary gland, kidney and genital ducts. Further it is expressed at a high level in certain tumours and tumour-derived cell lines. MUC2 was initially isolated from a human jejunum cDNA library and is thought to be one of the major intestinal mucin genes, though it is also express...

To determine the relative expression of distinct mucin genes in normal and neoplastic tissue, antibodies and cDNA probes that recognize the core tandem repeat sequences of membrane-bound (MUC1) and secreted (MUC2 and MUC3) mucins were used for immunohistochemical and RNA Northern and slot-blot analysis. MUC1 mRNA was detected in all epithelial tissues tested. MUC1 core peptide, recognized by mo...

Ectodomain shedding of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ligands [e.g., transforming growth factor type alpha (TGF-alpha)] and EGFR phosphorylation are implicated in mucin production in airway epithelial cells. Tumor necrosis factor alpha-converting enzyme (TACE) is reported to cleave precursor of TGF-alpha, with release of soluble mature TGF-alpha in various epithelial tissues. We hypoth...

Mucins are the principal components of mucus, and mucin glycosylation has important roles in defense, microbial adhesion, immunomodulation, inflammation, and cancer. Mucin expression and glycosylation are dynamic, responding to changes in local environment and disease. Potentially hundreds of heterogeneous glycans can substitute one mucin molecule, and it is difficult to identify biologically a...