Airway mucus: the good, the bad, the sticky.
Mucus production is a primary defense mechanism for maintaining lung health. However, the overproduction of mucin (the chief glycoprotein component of mucus) is a common pathological feature in asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis (CF), and lung cancer. Although it is associated with disease progression, effective therapies that directly target mucin overproduction and hypersecretion are lacking. Recent advances in our understanding of the control of mucin gene expression in the lungs, the cells that produce airway mucins, and the mechanisms used for releasing them into the airways have provided new potentials for the development of efficacious interventions that will be discussed in this review.
Evans
Christopher M
CM
Department of Pulmonary Medicine, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA. cevans@mdanderson.org
Koo
Ja Seok
JS
D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D005089:Exocytosis; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism; D009077:Mucins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009093:Mucus / Q000378:metabolism*; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000378:metabolism*; D019141:Respiratory System Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015398:Signal Transduction
D009077:Mucins; D019141:Respiratory System Agents