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Lookup NU author(s): Maria Zakhour, Dr Peter Chater, Dr Matthew Wilcox, Professor Jeffrey Pearson
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2024 by the authors.MUC2 mucin, the primary gel-forming component of intestinal mucus, is well researched and a model of polymerisation and post-secretory organisation has been published previously. Recently, several significant developments have been made which either introduce new ideas or challenge previous theories. New ideas include an overhaul of the MUC2 C-terminal globular structure which is proposed to harbour several previously unobserved domains, and include a site for an extra intermolecular disulphide bridge dimer between the cysteine 4379 of adjacent MUC2 C-termini. MUC2 polymers are also now thought to be secreted attached to the epithelial surface of goblet cells in the small intestine and removed following secretion via a metalloprotease meprin β-mediated cleavage of the von Willebrand D2 domain of the N-terminus. It remains unclear whether MUC2 forms intermolecular dimers, trimers, or both, at the N-termini during polymerisation, with several articles supporting either trimer or dimer formation. The presence of a firm inner mucus layer in the small intestine is similarly unclear. Considering this recent research, this review proposes an update to the previous model of MUC2 polymerisation and secretion, considers conflicting theories and data, and highlights the importance of this research to the understanding of MUC2 mucus layers in health and disease.
Author(s): Stanforth KJ, Zakhour MI, Chater PI, Wilcox MD, Adamson B, Robson NA, Pearson JP
Publication type: Review
Publication status: Published
Journal: Polymers
Year: 2024
Volume: 16
Issue: 12
Print publication date: 01/06/2024
Online publication date: 12/06/2024
Acceptance date: 10/06/2024
ISSN (electronic): 2073-4360
Publisher: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16121663
DOI: 10.3390/polym16121663
