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Updated: May 17, 2026

Macro-Rheology Characterization of Gill Raker Mucus in the Silver Carp, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix
Published on: July 10, 2020
Perspectives on mucus properties and formation--lessons from the biochemical world
Daniel Ambort1, Malin E V Johansson, Jenny K Gustafsson
1Department of Medical Biochemistry, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Abstract:
Our model of the MUC2 mucin shows a well-organized netlike gel that is cross-linked by six different covalent and noncovalent bonds. When the MUC2 mucin is packed in the mucin granule it is organized by an amino-terminal concatenated ring platform formed at high calcium and low pH. This packing allows an ordered release and a normal mucin expansion when calcium is removed and pH increased by bicarbonate. This process is defective in the absence of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-dependent bicarbonate transport. The expanded secreted mucin is suggested to be self-organizing by properties inherited in the MUC2 mucin and by proteolytic processes.
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