van Putten Jos P M, Strijbis Karin
Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
J Innate Immun. 2017;9(3):281-299. doi: 10.1159/000453594. Epub 2017 Jan 5.
Mucosal surfaces line our body cavities and provide the interaction surface between commensal and pathogenic microbiota and the host. The barrier function of the mucosal layer is largely maintained by gel-forming mucin proteins that are secreted by goblet cells. In addition, mucosal epithelial cells express cell-bound mucins that have both barrier and signaling functions. The family of transmembrane mucins consists of diverse members that share a few characteristics. The highly glycosylated extracellular mucin domains inhibit invasion by pathogenic bacteria and can form a tight mesh structure that protects cells in harmful conditions. The intracellular tails of transmembrane mucins can be phosphorylated and connect to signaling pathways that regulate inflammation, cell-cell interactions, differentiation, and apoptosis. Transmembrane mucins play important roles in preventing infection at mucosal surfaces, but are also renowned for their contributions to the development, progression, and metastasis of adenocarcinomas. In general, transmembrane mucins seem to have evolved to monitor and repair damaged epithelia, but these functions can be highjacked by cancer cells to yield a survival advantage. This review presents an overview of the current knowledge of the functions of transmembrane mucins in inflammatory processes and carcinogenesis in order to better understand the diverse functions of these multifunctional proteins.
黏膜表面覆盖着我们的体腔，是共生微生物群和致病微生物群与宿主之间的相互作用界面。黏膜层的屏障功能主要由杯状细胞分泌的凝胶形成性黏蛋白维持。此外，黏膜上皮细胞表达具有屏障和信号功能的细胞结合型黏蛋白。跨膜黏蛋白家族由具有一些共同特征的不同成员组成。高度糖基化的细胞外黏蛋白结构域可抑制病原菌的侵袭，并能形成紧密的网状结构，在有害条件下保护细胞。跨膜黏蛋白的细胞内尾部可被磷酸化，并连接到调节炎症、细胞间相互作用、分化和凋亡的信号通路。跨膜黏蛋白在防止黏膜表面感染方面发挥着重要作用，但它们对腺癌的发生、发展和转移的作用也广为人知。一般来说，跨膜黏蛋白似乎已经进化到可以监测和修复受损上皮，但这些功能可能被癌细胞利用，从而获得生存优势。本综述概述了目前关于跨膜黏蛋白在炎症过程和致癌作用中功能的知识，以便更好地理解这些多功能蛋白的多种功能。
