The ocular surface epithelia, including the stratified but nonkeratinized corneal, limbal and conjunctival epithelium, in concert with the epidermal keratinized eyelid epithelium, function together to maintain eye health and vision. Abnormalities in cellular proliferation or differentiation in any of these surface epithelia are central in the pathogenesis of many ocular surface disorders. Goble...

Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) impairs small intestine development and is associated with barrier failure, inflammation, and acidomucin goblet cell expansion in neonatal piglets. We examined the relationship between intestinal goblet cell expansion and molecular and cellular indices of inflammation in neonatal piglets receiving TPN, 80% parenteral + 20% enteral nutrition (PEN), or 100% entera...

Mucus production by goblet cells of the large intestine serves as a crucial antimicrobial protective mechanism at the interface between the eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells of the mammalian intestinal ecosystem. However, the regulatory pathways involved in goblet cell-induced mucus secretion remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the NLRP6 inflammasome, a recently described regulator...

Neuroendocrine tumors are rare tumors primarily located in the gastrointestinal tract. Goblet cell carcinoid is a rare subgroup of neuroendocrine tumors located in the appendix. Neurofibromatosis type 1 is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by a mutation in the NF1 gene. Patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 have an increased incidence of typical neuroendocrine tumors, but it is unknown if ...

Mucinous colorectal cancers exhibit a characteristic set of molecular genetic alterations and may be derived from progenitor cells committed to the goblet cell lineage. Previously, we demonstrated that the MUC2 mucin gene promoter drives transgene reporter expression with high specificity in small intestinal goblet cells of transgenic mice. On the basis of these experiments, we reasoned that th...

Goblet cell carcinoid tumours are often considered a subset of appendiceal neuroendocrine tumours which behave more aggressively. They usually metastasize through transcoelomic/peritoneal invasion and common sites include the ovaries, peritoneum, and liver. Metastases may have goblet cell carcinoid, signet ring cell carcinoma or classic carcinoid histology. We report the first case in the liter...

Bcl-2, an inhibitor of apoptosis, is expressed in LPS-induced metaplastic goblet cells of rat airways. The present study investigated expression of Bcl-2 in airway mucous cells of persons with cystic fibrosis and tested in rats and mice whether its expression is responsible for sustaining metaplastic mucous cells. A significantly higher percentage of mucous cells expressed Bcl-2 in humans with ...

Neutrophilic inflammation is associated with chronic airway diseases. It has been observed that human neutrophil elastase (HNE), which is secreted by active neutrophils during inflammation, induces both mucin overproduction and goblet cell metaplasia. Several in vitro studies suggest that tumor necrosis factor-α converting enzyme (TACE) regulates the signaling axis that mediates HNE-induced muc...

The objective of this study was to provide a new insight into the origin and lineage development of mucus-producing cells in the small intestinal crypt. For this, new experimental data were obtained from both crypt sections and whole mounts. Model simulation studies were undertaken to investigate which rules are most likely to govern the dynamic cellular development and goblet cell pedigree. We...