The emergence of antibiotic-resistant Helicobacter pylori is of concern in the treatment of H. pylori-associated gastroduodenal diseases. As the organism was reported to bind gastric mucin, we used porcine gastric mucin as substrate to assess the antiadhesive property of polysaccharides derived from Spirulina (PS), a commercially available microalga, against the binding of H. pylori to gastric ...

Our recent studies have demonstrated that AQP5 is involved in the metastatic potential of lung cancer. Here, our aim was to explore the effects of AQP5 expression on mucin production in lung adenocarcinoma. We tested MUC5AC and MUC5B mucin production induced by AQP5 expression in lung adenocarcinoma metastasis. Lung adenocarcinoma cells with different levels of AQP5 expression were used in this...

We have examined the biosynthesis of a low-molecular-mass mucin from rat submandibular gland (RSMG) expressed recombinantly in COS7 tissue culture cells, focusing primarily on the addition of carbohydrate to the protein core of the mucin. We find evidence for N-linked glycosylation, but this modification is not required for secretion of the mucin. Similarly, although the recombinant RSMG mucin,...

Abstract Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) refers to a growth disorder characterized by glycoprotein neoplasm in the peritoneum, where mucin oversecretion occurs. The tumors of appendix region are well associated with PMP; however, ovarian, colon, stomach, pancreas, and urachus have also been linked PMP. Other mucinous pelvis, paracolic gutters, greater omentum, retrohepatic space, Treitz ligament c...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE Trichomonas vaginalis, the causal agent of trichomonosis, is a flagellated parasitic protozoan that colonises the epithelial cells of the human urogenital tract. The ability of T vaginalis to colonise this site is in part a function of its ability to circumvent a series of non-specific host defences including the mucous layer covering epithelial cells at the site of infecti...

Background: Mucins are large complex glycoproteins that protect intestinal mucosal surfaces by limiting access of environmental matter to their epithelial cells. Several mucin genes have been described, including MUC3 that is a membrane associated mucin of the small intestine. Increased MUC3 mRNA transcription is induced by incubation of intestinal epithelial cells with a Lactobacillus strain k...

Antibodies against MUC2, MUC3, and MUC5AC peptide epitopes stained the secretory contents of all goblet cells in the human colon-derived HT29-18N2 cell line. In contrast, four carbohydrate-specific monoclonal antibodies stained mucin glycoforms in consistent subsets of goblet cells. Cholinergic agonist-evoked decreases in total mucin stores were not always mirrored by proportional changes in mu...

The lubrication effect of three long-chain polymers - mucin, methylcellulose and Ficoll - on ciliary propulsion in tubes is measured by plotting the relative velocities of swimming cilitates as a function of the tube bore diameter. Mucin shows the most unequivocal lubrication, which is found at concentrations between 0% and 9.1% (w/v). This observation, coupled with viscometric measurements whi...

1. Hypersecretion of gallbladder mucin has been proposed to be a pathogenic factor in cholesterol gallstone formation. Using cultured gallbladder epithelial cells, we demonstrated that bile salts regulate mucin secretion by the gallbladder epithelium. In the present study we have investigated whether established second messenger pathways are involved in bile salt-induced mucin secretion. 2. The...