Pulmonary surfactant-associated proteins promote alveolar stability by lowering the surface tension at the air-liquid interface in the peripheral air spaces. SP-B increases the collapse pressure of palmitic acid to nearly 70 millinewtons per meter.
Morphogenesis of an organ. An organ is defined as a tissue or set of tissues that work together to perform a specific function or functions. Morphogenesis is the process in which anatomical structures are generated and organized. Organs are commonly observed as visibly distinct structures, but may also exist as loosely associated clusters of cells that work together to perform a specific function or functions.
Eur. J. Pediatr. 158, 513-518 (1999)[PubMed:10378403]
Congenital alveolar proteinosis and misalignment of lung vessels are rare disorders. We report on five infants of consanguineous kindred. All infants were delivered at term after uneventful pregnancies. Shortly after birth they developed respiratory failure and severe persistent pulmonary hypertension. All died despite intensive care. Lung tissue of two infants was studied. Histological examination revealed combination of alveolar proteinosis and misalignment of lung vessels in one patient, alveolar proteinosis in the other. Immunostaining demonstrated surfactant protein B (SP-B) deficiency in both patients' lungs. In a further sibling, analysis of broncho-alveolar lavage fluid showed decreased surfactant protein. PCR and direct sequence analysis of the SP-B gene revealed three novel mutations. One of them, a single base deletion, shifts the reading frame at amino acid 122 and creates a premature termination of translation in exon 6. No mature SP-B protein is produced. CONCLUSION: Surfactant protein B deficiency caused by mutations of the respective gene and misalignment of lung vessels can concur. Both diseases may have a pathogenetic factor in common.
The process of gaseous exchange between an organism and its environment. In plants, microorganisms, and many small animals, air or water makes direct contact with the organism's cells or tissue fluids, and the processes of diffusion supply the organism with dioxygen (O2) and remove carbon dioxide (CO2). In larger animals the efficiency of gaseous exchange is improved by specialized respiratory organs, such as lungs and gills, which are ventilated by breathing mechanisms.
The chemical reactions and pathways involving sphingolipids, any of a class of lipids containing the long-chain amine diol sphingosine or a closely related base (a sphingoid).
IEAInterPro 2 GO
Note
Pulmonary surfactant consists of 90% lipid and 10% protein. There are 4 surfactant-associated proteins: 2 collagenous, carbohydrate-binding glycoproteins (SP-A and SP-D) and 2 small hydrophobic proteins (SP-B and SP-C).
A reference proteome is a set of protein sequences derived from a complete proteome which constitutes a defined standard for a particular user community. Reference proteomes are manually defined according to a number of criteria. They cover the proteomes of well- studied model organisms and other proteomes of interest for biomedical and biotechnological research. Reference proteomes have been selected to provide broad coverage of the tree of life, and constitute a representative cross-section of the taxonomic diversity to be found within UniProtKB.
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