The mucins are a family of highly glycosylated, secreted proteins with a basic structure consisting of a variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs). Membrane-associated and secretory Mucins are high molecular weight glycoproteins of the glycocalyx (polysaccharide biofilm) that protects mucosal epithelium from particulate matter and microorganisms. Epithelial Mucins are large, secreted and cell surface glycoproteins crucial for adhesion modulation, signaling and epithelial cell protection. The number of repeats is highly polymorphic and varies among different alleles. The Mucin family consists of Mucins 1-4, Mucin 5 (AC and B), Mucins 6-8, Mucins 11-13 and Mucins 15-17. The Mucin 16 protein (also commonly referred to as CA125), encoded for by the gene MUC16, is a very high molecular weight tumor antigen consisting of three domains: a carboxy terminal domain, an extracellular domain and an amino terminal domain. Mucin 16, an ovarian cancer-associated antigen, is used as a marker to monitor the progress of epithelial ovarian cancer. It is a hydrophilic membrane-associated protein that may be involved in vitamin A functions.
