title: MUC2, MUC5AC and MUC5B in the mucus of a patient with pseudomyxoma peritonei: biochemical and immunohistochemical study.
abstract: A 58-year-old man with a 1 year history of progressive abdominal distension underwent a laparotomy for pseudomyxoma peritonei. The mucin was identified and characterized in the present study. Approximately 6 L of crude mucus in the sol (highly viscous) and gel (semisolid) phases was obtained from the patient's peritoneal cavity. The sol material was briefly homogenized followed by slow stirring at dilutions of up to 1:10 with 6 mol/L guanidinium chloride and proteolytic inhibitors for periods of up to 48 h. Preparative and analytical gel filtration on Sepharose 2B showed some PAS-positive material eluting in the void volume accompanied by equal or larger amounts of protein in the void and included volumes of the columns. Sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of purified mucin on a 4-20% gradient gel showed PAS-positive material on the top of the running gel and a distinct smaller-sized species of mucin of higher electrophoretic mobility with background material in between the large and small mucin. Western blot (confirmed by immunohistochemical analysis) after agarose gel electrophoresis showed the presence of MUC2, MUC5AC and MUC5B in the mucus. There was no MUC1, MUC1core or MUC6 in the tissue. Histopathological examination confirmed a mucinous appendicular adenocarcinoma. Histology showed the mucin to be predominantly of the sulfated and non-sulfated acidic type. Serine, threonine and proline comprised 21.6% of the total amino acid composition of the sample. The viscous nature of the material is due to the presence of three gel-forming mucins and possibly to its high content of protein.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Cape Town, South Africa. anwar.mall@uct.ac.za
authors.forename: Anwar S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Mall
authors.forename: Nthato
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chirwa
authors.forename: Dhirendra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Govender
authors.forename: Zoe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lotz
authors.forename: Marilyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tyler
authors.forename: Jerry
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: Delawir
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kahn
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Goldberg
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000368:Aged; D001063:Appendiceal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055271:Mucin 5AC; D055262:Mucin-2; D055257:Mucin-5B; D009077:Mucins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009093:Mucus / Q000378:metabolism*; D010166:Palliative Care; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D011553:Pseudomyxoma Peritonei / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C524625:MUC2 protein, human; C524678:MUC5AC protein, human; C524578:MUC5B protein, human; D055271:Mucin 5AC; D055262:Mucin-2; D055257:Mucin-5B; D009077:Mucins