title: Cation-mediated conformational variants of surfactant protein A.
abstract: Surfactant protein A (SP-A) is the major protein of pulmonary surfactant. This protein is implicated in regulating surfactant secretion, alveolar processing, recycling, and in non-serum-induced immune response. An increasing body of work indicates the importance of cations, particularly calcium, on SP-A function. However, little information exists on the effects of cations on SP-A quaternary structure. Here, the quaternary organisation of bovine surfactant protein A in the presence of cations has been quantitatively and systematically studied by transmission electron microscopy. The conformation of SP-A is altered by the presence of cations, especially calcium, then sodium, and to a small extent, magnesium. There is a transition concentration, unique for each cation, at which a conformational switch occurs. These transition concentrations are: 5 mM for CaCl2, 100 mM for NaCl and 1 mM for MgCl2. Below these concentrations, SP-A exists primarily in an opened form with a large head diameter of 20 nm; above it, SP-A is mostly in a closed form due to a compaction of the headgroups resulting in a head diameter of 11 nm. There is a corresponding increase in particle length from 17 nm for opened SP-A to 20 nm for closed SP-A. The fact that the transition concentrations are within physiological range suggests that cation-mediated conformational changes of SP-A could be operative in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, University of Guelph, Ont., Canada.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ridsdale
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Palaniyar
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Holterman
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inchley
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Possmayer
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Harauz
mesh_terms: D002122:Calcium Chloride; D002412:Cations; D015636:Magnesium Chloride; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011510:Proteolipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A; D037661:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000737:chemistry*; D012965:Sodium Chloride