Journal: Mucosal immunology

Article Title: The innate immune properties of airway mucosal surfaces are regulated by dynamic interactions between mucins and interacting proteins: the mucin interactome

doi: 10.1038/mi.2016.27

Figure Lengend Snippet: A representative 3-dimensional rendering of an Atomic Force Microscope image of the organizational framework of the mucin interactome: The mucin interactome was isolated as described in the methods and deposited onto mica and observed in a Cypher AFM. Glycosylated domains/chains of the mucins are shown in green and measured approximately 1-2 nm in height. The brown color represents protein regions of the framework, including mucin's naked protein domains, as well as small mucin-binding proteins, which range in height from 2-5 nm (black arrows, small nodes). Larger brown protein nodes with 5-12 nm heights (red arrows) in the framework indicate the presence of more than one, or larger, and/or more hydrophobic proteins on the nodes. (A)- An oligomerized structure of a protein, possibly DMBT1, incorporated into the mucus network by interacting with mucin chains. (B) A compact/unfolded mucin form with a large globular node in the center. Scale bars: left 250 nm, insets 100 nm.

Article Snippet: Imaging took place on a Cypher AFM system (Oxford Instruments) using an ARROW-UHF AuD-20 cantilevers (Nanoprobe) operating in non-contact mode.

Techniques: Microscopy, Isolation, Binding Assay