Journal
INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES
Volume 20, Issue 11, Pages 2124-2131Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC
DOI: 10.1097/MIB.0000000000000117
Keywords
mucus; mucin; MUC2; inflammatory bowel disease; ulcerative colitis; Crohn's disease; intestinal barrier; bacteria penetration; colon; small intestine
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Funding
- Swedish Research Council
- The Swedish Cancer Foundation
- The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation
- IngaBritt and Arne Lundberg Foundation
- Sahlgren's University Hospital (LUA-ALF)
- Wilhelm and Martina Lundgren's Foundation
- Assar Gabrielssons Fond
- Clas Groschinskys Minnesfond
- Torsten och Ragnar Soderbergs Stiftelser
- The Sahlgrenska Academy
- National Institute of Allergy, and Infectious Diseases [U01AI095473, U01AI095776-03 9006862]
- The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research-the Mucus-Bacteria-Colitis Center of the Innate Immunity Program
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The intestinal epithelium is covered with mucus with the main structural building block being the densely O-glycosylated MUC2 mucin. The intestinal epithelium is exposed to ingested material, our digestive machinery, and large amounts of microorganisms. Mucus is the first line of defense and aids to limit exposure to all these threats to the epithelium. In the small intestine, mucus acts as a matrix, which contains antimicrobial products, such as defensins and immunoglobulin A that limit epithelial exposure to the luminal bacteria. In the colon, the stratified inner mucus layer acts as a physical barrier excluding bacteria from the epithelium. Bacterial penetration of this normally restricted zone is observed in many colitis models and also in patients with ulcerative colitis. Mucus defects that allow bacteria to reach the epithelium and to stimulate an immune system response can lead to the development of intestinal inflammation. The current state of our knowledge concerning the function of the mucus layers and the main mucin component, MUC2, in inflammatory bowel disease is described in this review.
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