糖萼
蛋白质丝
粘蛋白
生物物理学
电子显微镜
电子断层摄影术
低温电子层析成像
材料科学
纳米技术
显微镜
活体显微镜检查
细胞生物学
化学
生物
透射电子显微镜
光学
断层摄影术
扫描透射电子显微镜
生物化学
物理
生物技术
体内
作者
Willy W. Sun,Evan Krystofiak,Alejandra Leo-Macías,Runjia Cui,Antônio Sesso,Roberto Weigert,Seham Ebrahim,Bechara Kachar
标识
DOI:10.1038/s42003-019-0735-5
摘要
Abstract The glycocalyx is a highly hydrated, glycoprotein-rich coat shrouding many eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. The intestinal epithelial glycocalyx, comprising glycosylated transmembrane mucins, is part of the primary host-microbe interface and is essential for nutrient absorption. Its disruption has been implicated in numerous gastrointestinal diseases. Yet, due to challenges in preserving and visualizing its native organization, glycocalyx structure-function relationships remain unclear. Here, we characterize the nanoarchitecture of the murine enteric glycocalyx using freeze-etching and electron tomography. Micrometer-long mucin filaments emerge from microvillar-tips and, through zigzagged lateral interactions form a three-dimensional columnar network with a 30 nm mesh. Filament-termini converge into globular structures ~30 nm apart that are liquid-crystalline packed within a single plane. Finally, we assess glycocalyx deformability and porosity using intravital microscopy. We argue that the columnar network architecture and the liquid-crystalline packing of the filament termini allow the glycocalyx to function as a deformable size-exclusion filter of luminal contents.
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