Association of lipids with mucins may take place prior to secretion: Studies with primary hamster tracheal epithelial cells in culture
Issue title: Proceedings of the Seventh International Congress of Biorheology. Part I. Palais des Congrès, Nancy, France, 18–23 June 1989. Dedicated to Richard Skalak
Guest editors: Alfred L. Copley and Jean-François Stoltz
Affiliations: Pulmonary Center, Departments of Medicine and Pharmacology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, state University of New York, Health Science Center, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
Note: [] Accepted by: Editor E. Puchelle
Abstract: Confluent cultures of hamster tracheal surface epithelial (HTSE) cells are highly enriched with secretory cells and secrete mucins. Ultrastructural studies of cellular localization of these mucins show that mucins are found not only inside secretory granules but also on the apical surface of secretory cells during active secretion, and secreted mucins are highly associated with lipids. In the present communication, we analyzed lipids associated with both cellular and secreted mucins following metabolic radiolabeling of these cultured cells with [3H]palmitic acid. We found that profiles of lipids associated with both cellular and secreted mucins are almost identical not only qualitatively but also quantitatively. It is concluded that the lipid association with mucins seems to take place before secretion. The origin of the cell surface-bound mucins is discussed.
Keywords: Mucin, lipid, tracheal, goblet cell
DOI: 10.3233/BIR-1990-273-428
Journal: Biorheology, vol. 27, no. 3-4, pp. 491-501, 1990
