Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA.
Eye Contact Lens. 2020 Mar;46 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S53-S56. doi: 10.1097/ICL.0000000000000653.
The glycocalyx is a dense and diverse coat of glycans and glycoconjugates responsible for maintaining cell surface integrity and regulating the interaction of cells with the external environment. Transmembrane mucins such as MUC1 and MUC16 comprise a major component of the epithelial glycocalyx and are currently used to monitor disease progression in cancer. At the ocular surface, multiple lines of evidence indicate that abnormal expression of the enzymes responsible for glycan biosynthesis during pathological conditions impairs the glycosylation of transmembrane mucins. It is now becoming clear that these changes contribute to modify the interaction of mucins with galectin-3, a multimeric lectin crucial for preserving the ocular surface epithelial barrier. This review highlights the potential of using the epithelial glycocalyx as a reliable source for the generation of biomarkers to diagnose and monitor ocular surface disease.
糖萼是一层由糖和糖缀合物组成的密集而多样的涂层，负责维持细胞表面的完整性，并调节细胞与外部环境的相互作用。跨膜粘蛋白，如 MUC1 和 MUC16，构成了上皮糖萼的主要成分，目前用于监测癌症中的疾病进展。在眼表面，多项证据表明，在病理条件下负责聚糖生物合成的酶的异常表达会损害跨膜粘蛋白的糖基化。现在越来越清楚的是，这些变化有助于改变粘蛋白与半乳糖凝集素-3的相互作用，半乳糖凝集素-3 是一种对维持眼表面上皮屏障至关重要的多聚体凝集素。这篇综述强调了将上皮糖萼作为生成生物标志物来诊断和监测眼表面疾病的可靠来源的潜力。
