title: Physico-chemical characteristics of mucus glycoproteins and lipids of the human oral mucosal mucus coat in relation to caries susceptibility.
abstract: Mucus coat was isolated from oral epithelial surfaces of caries-resistant and caries-susceptible subjects, analysed for content and composition of lipids and mucus glycoproteins, and evaluated for physico-chemical characteristics. The mucus coat from caries-resistant subjects had a protein content similar to that of the caries-susceptible group but a higher content of carbohydrate and a lower content of lipids and covalently bound fatty acid. The carbohydrate component was mainly mucus glycoprotein, which accounted for 28.4% of the dry weight of caries-resistant mucus and 25.3% of caries-susceptible mucus. By chromatographic analysis on Bio-Gel A-50, both types of preparations had high (Mr approximately 2000 kdalton) and low (Mr approximately 300 kdalton) molecular-weight mucus glycoproteins. In the caries-susceptible mucus coat these two glycoproteins were in similar proportions, whereas the low molecular-weight glycoprotein predominated in caries-resistant mucus. In both preparations, the high molecular-weight glycoprotein was characterized by a high content of carbohydrates, associated lipids and covalently bound fatty acids, whereas the low molecular-weight glycoprotein was richer in protein and contained lesser amounts of associated and covalently bound lipids. Although the low molecular-weight glycoprotein showed only minor compositional differences with caries status, the high molecular-weight glycoprotein of the caries-resistant group had a 2.5 times lower content of covalently bound fatty acid, a 1.3 times lower content of associated lipids and contained 1.2 times more sulphate and sialic acid then that of the caries-susceptible group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Dental Research Center, New Jersey Dental School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark 07103-2425.
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Slomiany
authors.forename: V L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Murty
authors.forename: I D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Mandel
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zalesna
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Slomiany
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability; D003733:Dental Caries Susceptibility; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000032:analysis*; D009077:Mucins / Q000032:analysis; D009093:Mucus / Q000032:analysis; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D006023:Glycoproteins; D008055:Lipids; D009077:Mucins