RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Trefoil factors share a lectin activity that defines their role in mucus JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 859785 DO 10.1101/859785 A1 Michael Järvå A1 James P. Lingford A1 Alan John A1 Nichollas E. Scott A1 Ethan D. Goddard-Borger YR 2019 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/11/29/859785.abstract AB The trefoil factors (TFFs) are disulfide-rich mucosal peptides that protect the epithelium by promoting cell migration and increasing the viscoelasticity of the mucosa. Here we show that all TFFs are divalent lectins that recognise the GlcNAc-α-1,4-Gal disaccharide, which terminates type-III mucin-like O-glycans. Structural, mutagenic and biophysical data support a model of mucus viscoelasticity that features non-covalent cross-linking of glycoproteins by TFFs.