The mucins are a family of highly glycosylated, secreted proteins with a basic structure consisting of a variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs) encoded by 60 base pairs (Mucin 1), 69 base pairs (Mucin 2) and 51 base pairs (Mucin 3). The number of repeats is highly polymorphic and varies among different alleles. Mucin 1 proteins are expressed as type I membrane proteins in addition to secreted forms. Mucin 1 is aberrantly expressed in epithelial tumors including breast carcinomas. Mucin 2 coats the epithelia of the intestines and airways and is associated with colonic tumors. Mucin 3 is a major com-ponent of various mucus gels and is broadly expressed in normal and tumor cells.
