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The mucins (mucus glycoproteins) have long been a complex corner of
glycoprotein biology. While dramatic advances in the separation,
structural an- ysis, biosynthesis, and degradation have marked the
progress in general glycop- tein understanding, the mucins have
lagged behind. The reasons for this lack of progress have always
been clear and are only now being resolved. The mucins are very
large molecules; they are difficult to separate from other
molecules present in mucosal secretions or membranes; they are
often degraded owing to natural protective functions or to
isolation methodology and their peptide and oligos- charide
structures are varied and complex. Understanding these molecules
has demanded progress in several major areas. Isolation techniques
that protect the intact mucins and allow dissociation from other
adsorbed but discrete molecules needed to be developed and accepted
by all researchers in the field. Improved methods for the study of
very large molecules with regard to their aggregation and
polymerization were also needed. Structural analysis of the peptide
domains and the multitude of oligosaccharide chains was required
for smaller sample sizes, for multiple samples, and in shorter
time. In view of these problems it is perhaps not surprising that
the mucins have remained a dilemma, of obvious biological
importance and interest, but very difficult to analyze.
The mucins (mucus glycoproteins) have long been a complex corner of
glycoprotein biology. While dramatic advances in the separation,
structural an- ysis, biosynthesis, and degradation have marked the
progress in general glycop- tein understanding, the mucins have
lagged behind. The reasons for this lack of progress have always
been clear and are only now being resolved. The mucins are very
large molecules; they are difficult to separate from other
molecules present in mucosal secretions or membranes; they are
often degraded owing to natural protective functions or to
isolation methodology and their peptide and oligos- charide
structures are varied and complex. Understanding these molecules
has demanded progress in several major areas. Isolation techniques
that protect the intact mucins and allow dissociation from other
adsorbed but discrete molecules needed to be developed and accepted
by all researchers in the field. Improved methods for the study of
very large molecules with regard to their aggregation and
polymerization were also needed. Structural analysis of the peptide
domains and the multitude of oligosaccharide chains was required
for smaller sample sizes, for multiple samples, and in shorter
time. In view of these problems it is perhaps not surprising that
the mucins have remained a dilemma, of obvious biological
importance and interest, but very difficult to analyze.
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