We evaluated the effects of the probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) and the antibiotic Ciprofloxacin (Cipro) on mRNA expression of intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) in gnotobiotic (Gn) piglets colonized with a defined commensal microflora (DMF) and inoculated with human rotavirus (HRV) that infects IECs. We analyzed mRNA levels of IEC genes for enteroendocrine cells [chromogranin A (Cg...

Two unique nucleotide probes for human tracheobronchial mucin glycoprotein (TBM) were generated via polymerase chain reaction with degenerate primers deduced from the TBM:TR-3A tryptic peptide sequence and were used to isolate a 3.6 kilobase cDNA, clone NP3a, from a human nasal polyp cDNA library. Clone NP3a was localized to chromosome 11 and contained a 3168 nucleotide open reading frame which...

The intestinal mucosa undergoes a continual process of proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis that is regulated by multiple signaling pathways. Previously, we have shown that the nuclear factor of activated T-cells 5 (NFAT5) is involved in the regulation of intestinal enterocyte differentiation. Here we show that treatment with sodium chloride (NaCl), which activates NFAT5 signaling, inc...

OBJECTIVE Ovarian mucinous metastases commonly present as the first sign of the disease and are capable of simulating primary tumors. Our aim was to investigate the role of intratumoral lymphatic vascular density together with other surgical-pathological features in distinguishing primary from secondary mucinous ovarian tumors. METHODS A total of 124 cases of mucinous tumors in the ovary (63 ...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Mucin function is associated with both peptide core and glycosylation characteristics. The authors assessed whether structural alterations occurring during mucin residence in the tear film reflect changes in ocular surface physiology. METHODS Ocular surface mucus was collected from normal volunteers as N-acetyl cysteine (NAcCys) washes or directly from the speculum after catar...

The rapidly dividing small intestinal epithelium is very sensitive to the cytostatic drug methotrexate. We investigated the regulation of epithelial gene expression in rat jejunum during methotrexate-induced damage and regeneration. Ten differentiation markers were localized on tissue sections and quantified at mRNA and protein levels relative to control levels. We analyzed correlations in temp...

The normal intestinal microbiota inhabits the colon mucus without triggering an inflammatory response. The reason for this and how the intestinal mucus of the colon is organized have begun to be unraveled. The mucus is organized in two layers: an inner, stratified mucus layer that is firmly adherent to the epithelial cells and approximately 50 μm thick; and an outer, nonattached layer that is u...

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...

The stability of an immunogen against enzymatic degradation is considered an important factor for the design of synthetic vaccines. For our studies, we have selected an epitope from the tandem-repeat unit of the high-molecular-weight MUC2 mucin glycoprotein, which can be underglycosylated in case of colon cancer. In this study, we prepared a MUC2 peptide containing the PTGTQ epitope of a MUC2 p...

The polymeric mucin MUC2 constitutes the main structural component of the mucus that covers the colon epithelium. The protein's central mucin domain is highly O-glycosylated and binds water to provide lubrication and prevent dehydration, binds bacteria, and separates the bacteria from the epithelial cells. Glycosylation outside the mucin domain is suggested to be important for proper protein fo...