Published ahead of print on July 10, 2008, doi:10.1165/rcmb.2008-0169TR Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol., Volume 39, Number 6, December 2008, 644-647 A more recent version of this article appeared on December 1, 2008
Submitted on May 5, 2008 MUC1 Mucin - A Peacemaker in the LungK. Chul Kim1* and Erik P Lillehoj21 Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, Immunology and Asthma Program, Albuquerque, NM, USA, 2 Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: kckim{at}lrri.org.
MUC1 is a membrane-tethered mucin expressed on the surface of epithelial cells lining mucosal surfaces. Recent studies have begun to elucidate the physiologic function of MUC1 in the airways, pointing to an anti-inflammatory role that is initiated late in the course of bacterial infection and is mediated through inhibition of TLR signaling. These new findings have great potential for clinical applications in controlling excessive and prolonged lung inflammation. This review briefly summarizes the protein structural features of MUC1 relevant to its function, the discovery of its anti-inflammatory properties, and potential directions for future avenues of study.
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