Immune-driven alterations in mucin sulphation is an important mediator of Trichuris muris helminth expulsion.

ABSTRACT: Mucins are heavily glycosylated proteins that give mucus its gel-like properties. Moreover, the glycans decorating the mucin protein core can alter the protective properties of the mucus barrier. To investigate whether these alterations could be parasite-induced we utilized the Trichuris muris (T. muris) infection model, using different infection doses and strains of mice that are resistant (high dose infection in BALB/c and C57BL6 mice) or susceptible (high dose infection in AKR and low dose infection in BALB/c mice) to chronic infection by T. muris. During chronicity, within the immediate vicinity of the T. muris helminth the goblet cell thecae contained mainly sialylated mucins. In contrast, the goblet cells within the epithelial crypts in the resistant models contained mainly sulphated

SUBMITTER: Hasnain SZ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5325613 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature