Comparing <i>O</i>-glycans on the colonic and faecal mucins in mice

<p dir="ltr">Mucins are heavily <i>O</i>-glycosylated proteins found in the mucosal layer over the epithelial lining of the gut. 80% of mucins are comprised of <i>O</i>-glycans, which are responsible for maintaining the biological and physical properties of the mucus layer such as viscosity, and water-binding capacity. These <i>O</i>-glycans also mediate the homeostasis of host-gut microbiota by providing adhesion sites and by serving as a nutritional source for specific gut microbes. The current strategies to study the mucin-microbiome interactions rely on colonic samples that are collected using human colonoscopies or after sacrificing lab animals. This poses limitations on the application of findings for use as diagnostic or prognostic tools due to invasive sample collection. To overcome this, we aim to determine how faeces reflect colonic mucins so that it can be used as a reliable source for determining gut health. In this study, the protocol for the extraction of mucin from mouse faeces is optimised and <i>O</i>-glycan profiling is done on the colonic and faecal mucins of the same mice, to find out if faeces reflect the colon with regards to <i>O</i>-glycans. The study suggests that the <i>O</i>-glycans in the faecal mucins differs from the <i>O</i>-glycans in the colonic mucins in mice. However, more research can be done on model animals and humans to suggest if faecal mucins reflect colonic mucins, with regards to <i>O</i>-glycans. Additionally, this could pave the way for more in-depth studies of the gut microbiome in the future.</p>