Understanding Mucin Isoform Expression

Presenter: Daniella Agbenu, Biochemistry, Global Public Health Scholars

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For my practicum experience, I worked as an undergraduate research assistant in the Scull lab at the University of Maryland, College Park, with my mentor Dr. Shrestha Mathur. The Scull lab is in the Bioscience Research Building. I worked with Dr. Shrestha Mathur on her research paper centered on Understanding Mucin Isoform Expression. Mucin isoform expression was profiled under homeostatic conditions and during antiviral response. We wanted to know whether the media used for each of the donor cells could affect the expression of mucins under homeostatic conditions. To execute this, RT-PCR was done for MUC1, MUC3, and MUC20 to visually see the difference in mucin isoform expression across the three donor cells and BCi-NS1.1. From this, we can conclude that in the MUC20 PCR results, the canonical MUC20 seems to be present, as well as in the MUC13 results. However, for MUC1, the canonical seems to be absent. However, the qualitative approach is not enough to fully determine mucin isoform expression, so Iso-Seq was conducted. With the Iso-Seq data, we were able to quantify the number and length of isoforms and whether the canonical isoform was present. We learned that most donors lacked the canonical isoform, and the isoforms they did have were missing vital VNTR (Variable Number Tandem Repeats). This connects to public health because we are trying to understand how mucins play a role in viral infection. Understanding that different donors have different expressions of mucins can help other researchers create vaccines and therapies targeted specifically for a person’s mucin isoform composition. This will help combat infections and the increase of diseases plaguing the community, like cancer.