Abstract
Physiological functions for the preocular mucus gel are suggested by bulk properties of the gel and the general structure of mucins, i.e. alternating highly glycosylated (rigid) regions and poorly glycosylated (flexible) peptide domains. Eye-specific adaptations, e.g. short oligosaccharides, highly sialylated epitopes, suggest that these molecules are active at the ocular surface. Short oligosaccharides1 might be imposed by the transparency requirements of the preocular fluid or they might represent an adaptation to fast movement of resident entities through the preocular gel. Sialylated epitopes are an embodiment of the pro-2 and anti-adhesive3 properties of ocular mucins.
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© 2002 Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers
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Berry, M., Corfield, A.P., Harris, A., Khan-Lim, D. (2002). Functional Processing of Ocular Mucins. In: Sullivan, D.A., Stern, M.E., Tsubota, K., Dartt, D.A., Sullivan, R.M., Bromberg, B.B. (eds) Lacrimal Gland, Tear Film, and Dry Eye Syndromes 3. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 506. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0717-8_39
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0717-8_39
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
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