title: Aspects of metabolism and storage of pulmonary surfactant: experiments with isolated type II pneumocytes and lamellar bodies.
abstract: This review briefly summarizes our knowledge of the composition of pulmonary surfactant and the mechanisms involved in its biosynthesis. The currently available evidence suggests that dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, the major surface-active component of surfactant, can be synthesized in the alveolar type II pneumocyte via two pathways: (1) by direct synthesis de novo via the CPDcholine route, and (2) by remodelling of unsaturated phosphatidylcholines, most likely via a deacylation-reacylation mechanism. In addition, this paper focusses on recent findings concerning the biochemical characterization of lamellar bodies, the intracellular storage organelles of surfactant. Lamellar bodies from adult human lung contain a lamellar body-specific alpha-glucosidase--which should prove useful as a specific marker enzyme for this organelle.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Biochemistry, State University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: van Golde
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: de Vries
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Batenburg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D009940:Organoids / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants