JiangShi: a widely distributed Mucin-like protein essential for Drosophila development

Epithelia exposed to elements of the environment are protected by a mucus barrier in mammals. This barrier also serves to lubricate during organ movements and to mediate substance exchanges between the environmental milieu and internal organs. A major component of the mucus barrier is a class of glycosylated proteins called Mucin. Mucin and mucin-related proteins are widely present in the animal kingdom. Mucin mis-regulation has been reported in many diseases such as cancers and ones involving the digestive and respiratory tracts. Although the biophysical properties of isolated Mucins have been extensively studied, in vivo models remain scarce for the study of their functions and regulations. Here we characterize the Mucin-like JiangShi (JS) protein and its mutations in the fruit fly Drosophila. JS is an extracellular glycoprotein with domain features reminiscent of mammalian non-membranous Mucins, and one of the most widely distributed Mucin-like proteins studied in Drosophila. Both loss and over-production of JS lead to terminal defects in adult structures and organismal death. Although the physiological function of JS remains poorly defined, we present a genetically tractable model system for the in vivo studies of Mucin-like molecules.