Intestinal mucus and their glycans: A habitat for thriving microbiota

• Published in: Cell host & microbe 2023-07, Vol.31 (7), p.1087-1100
• Main Authors: Luis, Ana S., Hansson, Gunnar C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: colon; colonization; commensal bacteria; Intestinal Mucosa - microbiology; intestine; Intestines - microbiology; Microbiology in the medical area; Microbiota; Mikrobiologi inom det medicinska området; mucin, glycans; Mucin-2 - metabolism; Mucins - metabolism; mucus; Mucus - metabolism; Polysaccharides - metabolism
• ISSN: 1931-3128; 1934-6069; 1934-6069
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.05.026

The colon mucus layer is organized with an inner colon mucus layer that is impenetrable to bacteria and an outer mucus layer that is expanded to allow microbiota colonization. A major component of mucus is MUC2, a glycoprotein that is extensively decorated, especially with O-glycans. In the intestine, goblet cells are specialized in controlling glycosylation and making mucus. Some microbiota members are known to encode multiple proteins that are predicted to bind and/or cleave mucin glycans. The interactions between commensal microbiota and host mucins drive intestinal colonization, while at the same time, the microbiota can utilize the glycans on mucins and affect the colonic mucus properties. This review will examine this interaction between commensal microbes and intestinal mucins and discuss how this interplay affects health and disease. This review discusses how commensal bacteria can be selected by and how they can utilize the complex O-glycans of the colonic mucins while kept at a distance by the inner mucus layer. This interplay is discussed in relation to normal health and disease.