| First Author | Fakih D | Year | 2020 |
| Journal | Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol | Volume | 318 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | L1270-L1279 |
| PubMed ID | 32348677 | Mgi Jnum | J:293471 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6450363 | Doi | 10.1152/ajplung.00485.2019 |
| Citation | Fakih D, et al. (2020) Normal murine respiratory tract has its mucus concentrated in clouds based on the Muc5b mucin. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 318(6):L1270-L1279 |
| abstractText | The organization of the normal airway mucus system differs in small experimental animals from that in humans and large mammals. To address normal murine airway mucociliary clearance, Alcian blue-stained mucus transport was measured ex vivo on tracheal tissues of naive C57BL/6, Muc5b(-/-), Muc5ac(-/-), and EGFP-tagged Muc5b reporter mice. Close to the larynx with a few submucosal glands, the mucus appeared as thick bundles. More distally in the trachea and in large bronchi, Alcian blue-stained mucus was organized in cloud-like formations based on the Muc5b mucin. On tilted tissue, the mucus clouds moved upward toward the larynx with an average velocity of 12 microm/s compared with 20 microm/s for beads not associated with clouds. In Muc5ac(-/-) mice, Muc5b formed mucus strands attached to the tissue surface, while in Muc5b(-/-) mice, Muc5ac had a more variable appearance. The normal mouse lung mucus thus appears as discontinuous clouds, clearly different from the stagnant mucus layer in diseased lungs. |
