Can glycomics be applied to the study of the surface of the eye?
Similarly to other mucosal surfaces, such as the gastro-intestinal tract or the mouth, the ocular surface contains large amounts of the molecules known as membrane-associated mucins. Due to their extremely large size, they extend far away from the cell surface, forming a protective barrier (see the Figure) that is thought to prevent desiccation and to protect the eye against infection resulting from its continuous exposure to pathogenic microorganisms. Historically, it has been very difficult to analyze these molecules, because they are heavily glycosylated—up to 60% of a mucin molecule’s mass is sugars, the remainder being protein. Glycomics has provided the technology necessary to analyze the fine structure of these molecules and to test different hypotheses about their protective function.
