Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 30, 2026

Rapid Viscoelastic Characterization of Airway Mucus Using a Benchtop Rheometer
Published on: April 21, 2022
Mucus, it is not just a static barrier
Grace Y Chen1, Thaddeus S Stappenbeck
11Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Abstract:
The mucus layer is an important component of host defense against microbial infection of the intestinal epithelium. Autophagy is required for secretion of mucus by intestinal goblet cells. However, the upstream pathways that activate autophagy in this context are not yet fully elucidated. A recent study by Wlodarska et al. shows that NLRP6, a member of the Nod-like receptor family of pattern-recognition receptors, and the inflammasome pathway promote autophagy-dependent mucus secretion from goblet cells, providing a potential mechanism by which inflammasomes maintain intestinal homeostasis.
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