Mucins are a family of multifunctional glycoproteins that mostly line the surface of epithelial cells in the gastrointestinal tract and exert pivotal roles in gut lubrication and protection. Pancreatic cancer is a lethal disease with poor early diagnosis, limited therapeutic effects, and high numbers of cancer‐related deaths. In this review, we introduce the expression profiles of mucins in the normal pancreas, pancreatic precursor neoplasia and pancreatic cancer. Mucins in the pancreas contribute to biological processes such as the protection, lubrication and moisturization of epithelial tissues. They also participate in the carcinogenesis of pancreatic cancer and are used as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Herein, we discuss the important roles of mucins that lead to the lethality of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, particularly MUC1, MUC4, MUC5AC and MUC16 in disease progression, and present a comprehensive analysis of the clinical application of mucins and their promising roles in cancer treatment to gain a better understanding of the role of mucins in pancreatic cancer.

中文翻译：

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胰腺癌中的粘蛋白：一个成熟但有希望的家族，可用于诊断，预后和治疗。

粘蛋白是一类多功能糖蛋白，主要在胃肠道上皮细胞表面排列，并在肠道润滑和保护中起关键作用。胰腺癌是一种致死性疾病，早期诊断较差，治疗效果有限且与癌症相关的死亡人数很高。在这篇综述中，我们介绍了粘蛋白在正常胰腺，胰腺前体瘤形成和胰腺癌中的表达谱。胰腺中的粘蛋白有助于生物学过程，例如上皮组织的保护，润滑和保湿。它们还参与胰腺癌的致癌作用，并用作诊断生物标志物和治疗靶标。在这里，我们讨论了导致胰腺腺癌（尤其是MUC1）致死性的粘蛋白的重要作用，