glycocalyx /gly·co·cal·yx/ (gli″ko-kal´iks) the glycoprotein-polysaccharide covering that surrounds many cells.
gly·co·ca·lyx (gl  k -k  l ks, -k lks)n. An outer filamentous coating of carbohydrate-rich molecules on the surface of certain cells. |
glycocalyx
the glycoprotein-polysaccharide covering that surrounds many cells.
mucin
Glycoprotein, rich in carbohydrates, produced by the goblet cells and the subsurface vesicles of the conjunctiva which forms the basis of the mucous layer of the precorneal film. Mucin and the secreted glycocalyx (which consists of glycoproteins) are adsorbed by the epithelium of the cornea to convert it from a hydrophobic into a wettable hydrophilic surface. A deficiency in the production of mucin leads to an abnormally short precorneal film break-up time and to desiccation of the ocular surface. In addition, the mucous layer prevents microbial invasion of the cornea. In some contact lens wearers (especially of silicone hydrogel lenses) collapsed mucin, as well as lipids and tear proteins, accumulate behind the lens and form small, discrete spheres (called mucin balls or mucin plugs). These mucin balls cause neither discomfort nor loss of vision. See precorneal film; keratoconjunctivitis sicca; break-up time test; xerophthalmia.
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