title: Charge and interfacial behavior of short side-chain heavily glycosylated porcine stomach mucin.
abstract: The current accepted model for high-molecular-weight gastric mucins of the MUC family is that they adopt a polydisperse coil conformation in bulk solutions. We develop this model using well-characterized highly purified porcine gastric mucin and examine the molecules' charge and interfacial adsorption. "Orthana" mucin has short side-chains, low levels of sialic acid residues, and includes minute amounts of cystine residues that can be responsible for the self-polymerization of mucin. Atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy are used to examine the interfacial behavior of the mucin and clearly demonstrate the existence of discrete spherical subunits within the mucin molecules, with sizes in agreement with static light scattering, dynamic light scattering, and zeta potential measurements. Furthermore images indicate the combs are assembled with a beads on a string conformation; the daisy chain model. Zeta potential measurements establish the polyampholyte nature of the mucin molecules, which is used to explain their adsorption behavior on similarly charged surfaces.
authors.affiliation: Unilever Corporate Research, Colworth Park, Sharnbrook, Beds MK44 1LQ, United Kingdom. gleb.yakubov@unilever.com
authors.forename: Gleb E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Yakubov
authors.forename: Aristeidis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papagiannopoulos
authors.forename: Elodie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rat
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Waigh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005752:Gastric Mucins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006031:Glycosylation; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D034421:Sus scrofa
chemical_list: D005752:Gastric Mucins; D021122:Protein Subunits