The mucin MUC19 is a recently discovered member of the gel-forming
mucin family. At present, limited information is available regarding its structure and
functions. This chapter covers several issues: the evolutionary connection between
MUC19 and other gel-forming mucin genes, domain structure of the MUC19 mucin
glycoprotein, and specific features of the mouse Smgc/Muc19 mRNA transcription and
splicing. Some recent data regarding human MUC19 and mouse Muc19 expression in
embryonic development and in adult tissues are presented, and the possible role of
MUC19 in physiology of the eye and middle ear are discussed.
Keywords: MUC19, Muc19, Smgc/Muc19, domain structure, splicing,
expression.
