We have reported that transmembrane mucin MUC17 binds PDZ protein PDZK1, which retains MUC17 apically in enterocytes. MUC17 and transmembrane mucins MUC3 and MUC12 are suggested to build the enterocyte apical glycocalyx. Carbachol (CCh) stimulation of the small intestine results in gel-forming mucin secretion from goblet cells, something that requires adjacent enterocytes to secrete chloride and bicarbonate for proper mucin formation. Surface labeling and confocal imaging demonstrated that apically expressed MUC17 in Caco-2 cells and Muc3(17) in murine enterocytes were endocytosed upon stimulation with CCh. Relocation of MUC17 in response to CCh was specific as MUC3 and MUC12 did not relocate following CCh stimulation. MUC17 colocalized with PDZK1 under basal conditions, while MUC17 relocated to the terminal web and into early endosomes after CCh stimulation. CCh stimulation concomitantly internalized the Na ϩ/ H ϩ exchanger 3 (NHE3) and recruited cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) to the apical membranes, a process that was important for CFTR-mediated bicarbonate secretion necessary for proper gel-forming mucin unfolding. The reason for the specific internalization of MUC17 is not understood, but it could limit the diffusion barrier for ion secretion caused by the apical enterocyte glycocalyx or alternatively act to sample luminal bacteria. Our results reveal well-orchestrated mucus secretion and trafficking of ion channels and the MUC17 mucin. MUC17; Muc3(17), PDZK1; NHE3; CFTR MUCINS ARE LARGE O-GLYCOSYLATED proteins and the major components of the mucus that covers surfaces of luminal organs such as the lungs as well as the gastrointestinal and urogenital tracts. There are four human gel-forming mucins (MUC2, MUC5AC, MUC5B, and MUC6) that form large polymeric complexes with gel-like properties when secreted from goblet cells or glands (20). A second group of mucins is the transmembrane mucins that either belong to the NIDO (nidogen)-AMOP (adhesion associated domain in MUC4 and other proteins)-vWD (von Willebrand factor type D) family (MUC4) or the SEA (sea urchin sperm protein, enterokinase, and agrin) family (MUC1, MUC3, MUC12, MUC13, MUC16, and MUC17), as determined by the juxtamembrane extracellular functional domain(s) (24).MUC17, and its murine orthologue Muc3(17), are the main transmembrane mucins expressed in the human and mouse small intestines (12,32). MUC17 has a domain structure typical for most transmembrane mucins (Fig. 1A). An NH 2 -terminal signal sequence is followed by a repeated PTS (proline-, serine-, and threonine-rich) sequence, rich in proline, threonine, and serine amino acid residues. The serine and threonine residues carry O-glycans, which are added during posttranslational processing of the mucin in the Golgi apparatus to generate an extended bottle-brush-shaped mucin domain (2, 10). A SEA domain is located between the mucin domain and transmembrane domain. This conserved domain is cleaved in an autocatalytically strain-dependent manner in the endoplasmic ret...