Mucins are major glycoprotein components of the mucus that coats the surfaces of cells lining the respiratory, digestive, gastrointestinal and urogenital tracts. They function to protect epithelial cells from infection, dehydration and physical or chemical injury, as well as to aid the passage of materials through a tract i.e., lubrication. They are also implicated in the pathogenesis of benign and malignant diseases of secretory epithelial cells. In Human there are two types of mucins, membrane-bound and secreted that are originated from mucous producing goblet cells localized in the epithelial cell layer or in mucous producing glands and encoded by MUC gene. Mucins belong to a heterogeneous family of high molecular weight proteins composed of a long peptidic chain with a large number of tandem repeats that form the so-called mucin domain. The molecular weight is generally high, ranging between 0.2 and 10 million Dalton and all mucins contain one or more domains which are highly glycosylated. The size and number of repeats vary between mucins and the genetic polymorphism represents number of repeats (VNTR polymorphisms), which means the size of individual mucins can differ substantially between individuals which can be used as markers. In human it is only MUC1 and MUC7 that have mucin domains with less than 40% serine and threonine which in turn could reduce number of PTS domains. Mucins can be considered as powerful two-edged sword, as its normal function protects from unwanted substances and organisms at an arm's length while, malfunction of mucus may be an important factor in human diseases. In this review we have unearthed the current status of different mucin proteins in understanding its role and function in various non-communicable diseases in human with special reference to its organ specific locations. The findings described in this review may be of direct relevance to the major research area in biomedicine with reference to mucin and mucin associated diseases.

The complex and dynamic consortia of microbiota that harbors the human gastrointestinal tract contributes ominously to the maintenance of health, the onset and progression of diverse spectrum of disorders. The capability of these enteric microbes to bloom within the gut mucosal milieu is often associated to the glycan metabolism of mucin-degrading bacteria. Accruing evidences suggests that the desulfation of mucin is a rate-limiting step in mucin degradation mechanism by colonic bacterial mucin-desulfating sulfatase enzymes (MDS) enzymes. Till date no experimental evidence is available on how conformational flexibility influences structure and substrate specificity by MDS of gut microbe Bacteroides fragilis. Henceforth, to gain deep insights into the missing but very imperative mechanism, we performed a comprehensive molecular dynamics study, principal component analysis and MM/PBSA binding free energies to gain insights into (i) the domain architecture and mode of substrate binding (ii) conformational dynamics and flexibility that influence the orientation of substrate, (iii) energetic contribution that plays very decisive role to the overall negative binding free energy and stabilities of the complexes (iv) critical residues of active site which influence binding and aid in substrate recognition. This is the first ever report, depicting the molecular basis of recognition of substrates and provides insights into the mode of catalysis by mucin desulfating sulfatase enzymes in gut microbiota. Overall, our study shed new insights into the unmapped molecular mechanisms underlying the recognition of various substrates by mucin desulfating sulfatase, which could be of great relevance in therapeutic implications in human gut microbiota associated disorders.

Rising burden of diabetes in India requires quick intervention that integrates policies and programs for effective prevention and control of disease. This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to observe effect of diet in two Indian communities practicing sedentary lifestyle. Fasting blood samples were analyzed for blood sugar, glycated-hemoglobin (HbA1C), and lipid profile. Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) measurements were recorded. Diabetes incidence was lower in lacto-vegetarian (1.7%) than in non-vegetarian group (5.3%) despite similar lipid profiles and BMI/WC between the groups. Fasting blood sugar (FBS) was positively correlated with LDL and VLDL levels and negatively correlated with HDL, only in lacto-vegetarian group. Study suggests: (1) Indian lacto-vegetarian diet has beneficial effects on diabetes incidence irrespective of high body weight and sedentary lifestyle; (2) intervention to reduce body lipids, such as lipid-lowering drugs and exercise, may have greater effect in reducing FBS levels in this lacto-vegetarian group.

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