scholarly journals The lung lectin surfactant protein A aggregates phospholipid vesicles via a novel mechanism

1991 ◽  
Vol 275 (1) ◽  
pp. 273-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
H P Haagsman ◽  
R H Elfring ◽  
B L M van Buel ◽  
W F Voorhout

Surfactant protein A (SP-A), a lung-specific glycoprotein, consists of an N-terminal collagen-like domain and a C-terminal domain with a sequence similar to that of several Ca2(+)-dependent lectins. SP-A induces a rapid Ca2(+)-dependent aggregation of phospholipid vesicles. We report here that vesicle aggregation is mediated by Ca2(+)-induced interactions between carbohydrate-binding domains and oligosaccharide moieties of SP-A. This novel mechanism of membrane interactions may be relevant to the formation of the membrane lattice of tubular myelin, an extracellular form of surfactant.

1993 ◽  
Vol 291 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Murata ◽  
Y Kuroki ◽  
T Akino

Surfactant protein A (SP-A), with a reduced denatured molecular mass of 26-38 kDa, is characterized by a collagen-like sequence in the N-terminal half of the protein. This protein forms an oligomeric structure which is dependent upon this collagenous domain. SP-A has been demonstrated to function as an inhibitor of phospholipid secretion by primary cultures of alveolar type II cells via a cell surface receptor for the protein. However, the receptor-binding domain of SP-A has not been identified. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of the C-terminal domain of SP-A in binding to type II cells and regulation of phospholipid secretion. A monoclonal antibody to human SP-A, whose epitope was localized at the C-terminal domain of the protein, abolished the inhibitory activity of human SP-A on lipid secretion by type II cells, and attenuated the ability of human SP-A to compete with 125I-(rat SP-A) for receptor binding. SP-A was then digested with collagenase and the collagenase-resistant fragment (CRF), which is the C-terminal domain of SP-A (thus lacking the N-terminal domain), was isolated. Gel filtration chromatography revealed that CRF exists as a monomer in solution containing Ca2+. CRF had the ability to inhibit phospholipid secretion, although at a higher concentration than for SP-A, and was also able to compete with 125I-(rat SP-A) for binding to type II cells. A direct binding study showed that CRF bound to type II cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The present study demonstrates that the non-collagenous, C-terminal, domain of SP-A is responsible for the protein's inhibitory effect on lipid secretion and its binding to type II cells.


1994 ◽  
Vol 303 (2) ◽  
pp. 407-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
J F Van Iwaarden ◽  
J C Pikaar ◽  
J Storm ◽  
E Brouwer ◽  
J Verhoef ◽  
...  

Surfactant protein A (SP-A) enhances the phagocytosis of opsonized and non-opsonized bacteria by alveolar macrophages, but it is not known with which component of the bacterial surface it associates. We investigated the interaction of SP-A with lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which are important biologically active constituents of the outer membranes of Gram-negative bacteria. Flow cytometry was used to study the binding of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labelled SP-A either to LPS of various chain lengths coupled to magnetic beads or to Gram-negative bacteria. The binding of SP-A to LPS-coated beads was saturable, both time- and concentration-dependent, and required both Ca2+ and Na+. SP-A bound to the lipid A moiety of LPS and to LPS from either the Re-mutant of Salmonella minnesota or the J5-mutant of Escherichia coli. In contrast, it did not bind to O111 LPS of E. coli, suggesting that SP-A binds only to rough LPS. The binding of SP-A to LPS was not affected by mannan and heparin or by deglycosylation of the SP-A, indicating that the carbohydrate-binding domain and the carbohydrate moiety of SP-A are not involved in its interaction with LPS. We also observed saturable and concentration-dependent binding of SP-A to the live J5 mutant of whole E. coli, but not to its O111 mutant. In addition, Re LPS aggregated in the presence of SP-A, Ca2+ and Na+. We conclude that SP-A associates with LPS via the lipid A moiety of rough LPS and may be involved in the anti-bacterial defences of the lung.


1993 ◽  
Vol 296 (3) ◽  
pp. 585-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Casals ◽  
E Miguel ◽  
J Perez-Gil

The fluorescence characteristics of surfactant protein A (SP-A) from porcine and human bronchoalveolar lavage were determined in the presence and absence of lipids. After excitation at either 275 or 295 nm, the fluorescence emission spectrum of both proteins was characterized by two maxima at about 326 and 337 nm, indicating heterogeneity in the emission of the two tryptophan residues of SP-A, and also revealing a partially buried character for these fluorophores. Interaction of both human and porcine SP-A with various phospholipid vesicles resulted in an increase in the fluorescence emission of tryptophan without any shift in the emission wavelength maxima. This change in intrinsic fluorescence was found to be more pronounced in the presence of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) than with dipalmitoyl phosphatidylglycerol (DPPG), DPPC/DPPG (7:3, w/w) and 1-palmitoyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphocholine (LPC). Intrinsic fluorescence of SP-A was almost completely unaffected in the presence of egg phosphatidylcholine (egg-PC). In addition, we demonstrated a shielding of the tryptophan fluorescence from quenching by acrylamide on interaction of porcine SP-A with DPPC, DPPG or LPC. This shielding was most pronounced in the presence of DPPC. In the case of human SP-A, shielding was only observed on interaction with DPPC. From the intrinsic fluorescence measurements as well as from the quenching experiments, we concluded that the interaction of some phospholipid vesicles with SP-A produces a conformational change on the protein molecule and that the interaction of SP-A with DPPC is stronger than with other phospholipids. This interaction appeared to be independent of Ca2+ ions. Physiological ionic strength was found to be required for the interaction of SP-A with negatively charged vesicles of either DPPG or DPPC/DPPG (7:3, w/w). Intrinsic fluorescence of SP-A was sensitive to the physical state of the DPPC vesicles. The increase in intrinsic fluorescence of SP-A in the presence of DPPC vesicles was much stronger when the vesicles were in the gel state than when they were in the liquid-crystalline state. The effect produced by SP-A on the lipid vesicles was also dependent on temperature. The aggregation of DPPC, DPPC/DPPG (7:3, w/w) or dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol (DMPG) was many times higher below the phase-transition temperature of the corresponding phospholipids. These results strongly indicate that the interaction of SP-A with phospholipid vesicles requires the lipids to be in the gel phase.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lidan Liu ◽  
Chaim Z. Aron ◽  
Cullen M. Grable ◽  
Adrian Robles ◽  
Xiangli Liu ◽  
...  

AbstractLevels of intestinal toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) impact inflammation in the neonatal gastrointestinal tract. While surfactant protein A (SP-A) is known to regulate TLR4 in the lung, it also reduces intestinal damage, TLR4 and inflammation in an experimental model of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in neonatal rats. We hypothesized that SP-A-deficient (SP-A−/−) mice have increased ileal TLR4 and inflammatory cytokine levels compared to wild type mice, impacting intestinal physiology. We found that ileal TLR4 and proinflammatory cytokine levels were significantly higher in infant SP-A−/− mice compared to wild type mice. Gavage of neonatal SP-A−/− mice with purified SP-A reduced ileal TLR4 protein levels. SP-A reduced expression of TLR4 and proinflammatory cytokines in normal human intestinal epithelial cells (FHs74int), suggesting a direct effect. However, incubation of gastrointestinal cell lines with proteasome inhibitors did not abrogate the effect of SP-A on TLR4 protein levels, suggesting that proteasomal degradation is not involved. In a mouse model of experimental NEC, SP-A−/− mice were more susceptible to intestinal stress resembling NEC, while gavage with SP-A significantly decreased ileal damage, TLR4 and proinflammatory cytokine mRNA levels. Our data suggests that SP-A has an extrapulmonary role in the intestinal health of neonatal mice by modulating TLR4 and proinflammatory cytokines mRNA expression in intestinal epithelium.


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