Hagfishes are benthic marine protovertebrates that secrete copious quantities of slime when threatened. The slime originates as a two-component glandular exudate comprised of coiled bundles of cytoskeletal intermediate filaments (thread skeins) and mucin vesicles. Holocrine secretion of the slime into seawater results in the rapid deployment of both fibrous and mucin components, resulting in ab...

The adhesion of Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans on mucin coatings was evaluated to explore the feasibility of using the coating to increase the infection resistance of biomaterials. Coatings of bovine submaxillary mucin (BSM) were deposited on a base layer consisting of a poly(acrylic acid-b-methyl methacrylate) (PAA-b-PMMA) diblock copolymer. This bi-layer sy...

The original hygiene hypothesis suggests that early childhood respiratory infections preceding allergen exposure may decrease the prevalence of allergic diseases. We have recently demonstrated that Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection preceding allergen exposure reduced allergic responses in mice. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the protective role of M. pneumoniae in allergic responses...

Bacterial adhesion to host receptors is an early and essential step in bacterial colonization, and the nature of adhesin-receptor interactions determines bacterial localization and thus the outcome of these interactions. Here, we determined the host receptors for the multivalent adhesion molecule (MAM) from the gut commensal Escherichia coli HS (MAMHS), which contains an array of seven mammalia...

The adherent mucous gel layer lining the colonic epithelium is the first line of host defense against invasive pathogens, such as Entamoeba histolytica. The mucous layer prevents the attachment of amoeba to the colonic epithelium by trapping and aiding in the expulsion of the parasite. Disruption of the mucous layer is thought to occur in invasive amebiasis, and the mechanism by which the paras...

The enormous bacterial load and mechanical forces in colon create a special requirement for protection of the epithelium. In the distal colon, this problem is largely solved by separation of the bacteria from the epithelium by a firmly attached inner mucus layer. In addition, an outer mucus layer entraps bacteria to be cleared by distal transport. The mucus layers contain a network of Muc2 muci...

In this study we investigate the expression pattern of mucin genes in the human testis and evaluate the relationship between the expression of mucin genes and impaired spermatogenesis in the human testis. Thirty human testis tissues were collected from patients undergoing diagnostic testicular biopsy to investigate the cause of infertility. One part of the tissue underwent histological observat...

Mucins and mucin-type glycoproteins, collectively referred to as mucin-type O-glycans, are implicated in many important biological functions and pathological conditions, including malignancy. Presently, there is no reliable method to measure the total mucin-type O-glycans of a sample, which may contain one or more of these macromolecules of unknown structures. We report the development of an im...

New preventive approaches against dental erosion caused by acidic drinks and beverages include fortification of beverages with natural polymers. We have shown that the mixture of casein and mucin significantly improved the erosion-inhibiting properties of the human pellicle layer. This study aimed to investigate the effect of pellicle modification by casein, mucin and a casein-mucin mixture on ...

BACKGROUND Adenophora triphylla var. japonica is empirically used for controlling airway inflammatory diseases in folk medicine. We evaluated the gene expression and production of mucin from airway epithelial cells in response to lupenone, lupeol and taraxerol derived from Adenophora triphylla var. japonica. METHODS Confluent NCI-H292 cells were pretreated with lupenone, lupeol or taraxerol f...