associatedModerate evidence
Colitis and colorectal cancer
Truncated or altered mucin O-glycosylation is associated with inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer.1
Glycome Atlas
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Glycome Atlas
concept
Also known as mucin-type O-glycans, O-GalNAc glycans, mucin glycans
GalNAc (α1-O) → Ser/Thr; Gal (β1-3) → GalNAc; GlcNAc (β1-6) → GalNAc
How to read these diagrams (SNFG)
Each shape is a class of sugar and each colour a specific one. Structures read right to left, with the reducing end (the point of attachment) on the right.
Plain-language answer
Mucin O-glycans are the thick forest of sugar chains attached to mucin proteins. They are so dense that they coat the protein backbone and give mucus its water-holding, gel-like character.1
These sugars make mucus protective and also feed gut bacteria. Their patterns influence which microbes thrive and how well the barrier resists infection, and they change in gut disease and cancer.12
Technical detail
Mucin-type O-glycans are dense clusters of GalNAc-initiated O-linked glycans built on core structures (cores 1-4) along mucin tandem-repeat domains, conferring the extended, hydrated, protease-resistant character of mucins and providing ligands and nutrients for the microbiota.12
Initiation by GalNAc-transferases on serine and threonine, followed by core extension and terminal modification, produces the closely spaced O-glycans that force mucin domains into extended, bottlebrush conformations.1
Terminal sugars including fucose and sialic acid modulate microbial adhesion and foraging, so the O-glycan repertoire shapes the mucosal microbiota and barrier resilience.2
Human relevance
Truncated or altered mucin O-glycosylation is associated with inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer.1
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References