Epithelial mucins, such as MUC13, are a family of secreted and cell surface glycoproteins expressed by ductal and glandular epithelial tissues (Williams et al., 2001 [PubMed 11278439]).[supplied by OMIM, Jul 2008]
Forensic Context
A study in humans developed a multiplex RT-PCR assay for rectal mucosa identification, where the MUC13 was selected as a candidate marker based on high expression in the rectum and was positive in 17 of 19 rectal mucosa samples, with a cutoff value for normalized peak height set at >0.1, and it showed no cross-reactivity with other forensically relevant body fluids except for a slight peak in 1 of 10 semen samples [Akutsu et al. DOI:10.1016/J.Fsigen.2022.102712]. Another comparative study evaluating mRNA-based methods noted the MUC13 is mentioned in the literature as a useful marker for rectal mucosa, though it was not experimentally studied in that work [Martin et al. DOI:10.1016/j.fsigen.2025.103297].