Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA; email:
Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol. 2018 Oct 6;34:189-215. doi: 10.1146/annurev-cellbio-100617-062818. Epub 2018 May 11.
We review what is currently understood about how the structure of the primary solid component of mucus, the glycoprotein mucin, gives rise to the mechanical and biochemical properties of mucus that are required for it to perform its diverse physiological roles. Macroscale processes such as lubrication require mucus of a certain stiffness and spinnability, which are set by structural features of the mucin network, including the identity and density of cross-links and the degree of glycosylation. At the microscale, these same features affect the mechanical environment experienced by small particles and play a crucial role in establishing an interaction-based filter. Finally, mucin glycans are critical for regulating microbial interactions, serving as receptor binding sites for adhesion, as nutrient sources, and as environmental signals. We conclude by discussing how these structural principles can be used in the design of synthetic mucin-mimetic materials and provide suggestions for directions of future work in this field.
我们回顾了目前对于黏液主要固相成分——糖蛋白黏蛋白的结构如何赋予黏液所需的机械和生化特性以便发挥其多样化的生理功能的理解。宏观层面的过程，如润滑，需要具有一定硬度和可拉伸性的黏液，这是由黏蛋白网络的结构特征决定的，包括交联的种类和密度以及糖基化程度。在微观层面上，这些相同的特征影响着小微粒所经历的机械环境，并在建立基于相互作用的过滤器方面发挥着关键作用。最后，黏蛋白聚糖对于调节微生物相互作用至关重要，它们可以作为黏附的受体结合位点、营养源和环境信号。我们最后讨论了这些结构原则如何应用于合成黏蛋白模拟材料的设计，并为该领域的未来工作方向提供了建议。
