Research Highlights

Infection: Parasite protection

Nature Medicine 17, 670–671 (2011). doi:10.1038/nm0611-670

Illustration shows Trichuris sp.

Goblet cells in the intestine secrete a thick mucus layer comprised of mucin glycoproteins, which provides a protective barrier from pathogenic nematodes. Recent findings highlight the role of specific mucins in promoting worm expulsion.

David Thornton and his colleagues (J. Exp. Med. 208, 893–900) report that the mucin Muc5ac is upregulated in the cecum of mice infected with Trichuris muris, a model of human infection with Trichuris trichiura. Mice deficient in this mucin are incapable of expelling worms and remain susceptible to chronic infection. Aside from altering the viscous properties of the mucus, the human equivalent, MUC5AC, directly reduces nematode vitality in vitro.

These findings dovetail with recent findings (Gastroenterology 138, 1763–771) that mice deficient in Muc2, the major mucin produced in the intestine, upregulate Muc5ac with T. muris infection. Expulsion of worms is delayed (but not abolished) in Muc2-deficient mice, highlighting the roles of both mucins in host defense against nematode infection.

Author: Kevin Da Silva