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Definition
The use of physical and chemical methods to study mucins and mucin systems at different levels of organization: molecular shape, aggregation, polymerization, gellation, and viscosity, all of which might underlie physiological functions.
Basic Characteristics
The peptide cores of these glycoproteins undergo posttranslational glycosylation and commonly contain 60–80% of their dry weight as carbohydrate. The glycan chains are attached through serine or threonine residues in the variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) domains, a structural “fingerprint” of the mucins (Linden et al. 2008). General architecture is conserved in mucins: they are flexible linear polymers fitting a freely jointed chain model. Mature mucins divide into two groups: secreted and apical membrane associated (transmembrane, membrane-bound mucins) (Carlstedt et al. 1985). Complex networks are formed by multiple short- and long-range interactions, including cross-links through...
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© 2013 European Biophysical Societies' Association (EBSA)
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Corfield, A., Berry, M. (2013). Mucin Biophysics. In: Roberts, G.C.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Biophysics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16712-6_474
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16712-6_474
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-16711-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-16712-6
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