ABSTRACT

Mucus hypersecretion and mucus-producing cell hyperplasia have been implicated in the pathogenesis of airway inflammation. Mucins are major glycoprotein components of airway secretions and are thought to be related to the cause of pathophysiological features that occur in airway inflammation. This review will address the general features of airway mucins and will summarize what is known about the relationship between inflammatory mediators (cytokines and growth factors) and mucin gene expression in airways. Furthermore, we will focus on the signal transduction pathways that lead to mucin gene and protein expression in airways. To understand the mechanism by which mucin gene expression occurs in airway inflammation may permit the development of the novel therapeutic approaches for hypersecrative airway diseases.