The structure of FCGBP is formed as a disulfide-mediated homodimer between its C-terminal domains.

Mucus in the colon is crucial for intestinal homeostasis by forming a barrier that separates microbes from the epithelium. This is achieved by the structural arrangement of the major mucus proteins, such as MUC2 and FCGBP, both of which are comprised of several von Willebrand D domains (vWD) and assemblies. Numerous disulfide bonds stabilise these domains, and intermolecular bonds generate multimers of MUC2.

The structure of the second CysD domain of MUC2 and role in mucin organization by transglutaminase-based cross-linking.

The MUC2 mucin protects the colonic epithelium by a two-layered mucus with an inner attached bacteria-free layer and an outer layer harboring commensal bacteria. CysD domains are 100 amino-acid-long sequences containing 10 cysteines that separate highly O-glycosylated proline, threonine, serine (PTS) regions in mucins. The structure of the second CysD, CysD2, of MUC2 is now solved by nuclear magnetic resonance.

The intestinal MUC2 mucin C-terminus is stabilized by an extra disulfide bond in comparison to von Willebrand factor and other gel-forming mucins.

The MUC2 mucin polymer is the main building unit of the intestinal mucus layers separating intestinal microbiota from the host epithelium. The MUC2 mucin is a large glycoprotein with a C-terminal domain similar to the MUC5AC and MUC5B mucins and the von Willebrand factor (VWF). A structural model of the C-terminal part of MUC2, MUC2-C, was generated by combining Cryo-electron microscopy, AlphaFold prediction, information of its glycosylation, and small angle X-ray scattering information.

Muc2-dependent microbial colonization of the jejunal mucus layer is diet sensitive and confers local resistance to enteric pathogen infection.

Intestinal mucus barriers normally prevent microbial infections but are sensitive to diet-dependent changes in the luminal environment. Here we demonstrate that mice fed a Western-style diet (WSD) suffer regiospecific failure of the mucus barrier in the small intestinal jejunum caused by diet-induced mucus aggregation. Mucus barrier disruption due to either WSD exposure or chromosomal Muc2 deletion results in collapse of the commensal jejunal microbiota, which in turn sensitizes mice to atypical jejunal colonization by the enteric pathogen Citrobacter rodentium.

Drought patterns: their spatiotemporal variability and impacts on maize production in Limpopo province, South Africa.

Due to global climate change, droughts are likely to become more frequent and more severe in many regions such as in South Africa. In Limpopo, observed high climate variability and projected future climate change will likely increase future maize production risks. This paper evaluates drought patterns in Limpopo at two representative sites.