Nanoarchitecture and dynamics of the mouse enteric glycocalyx examined by freeze-etching electron tomography and intravital microscopy

通过冷冻蚀刻电子断层扫描和活体显微镜检查小鼠肠糖萼的纳米结构和动力学

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作者:Willy W Sun #, Evan S Krystofiak #, Alejandra Leo-Macias, Runjia Cui, Antonio Sesso, Roberto Weigert, Seham Ebrahim, Bechara Kachar

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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