title: Surfactant proteins in innate host defense of the lung.
abstract: Surfactant proteins A and D (SP-A and SP-D) are members of the collectin family of host defense proteins that are expressed in epithelial cells lining the lung. SP-A and SP-D interact with surfactant lipids in complex ways to determine the structure of tubular myelin, and the ratio of surfactant subfractions that, in turn, influences surfactant uptake and metabolism, respectively. SP-A and SP-D play critical roles in host defense of the lung against diverse viral, fungal, and bacterial pathogens. The collectins bind to the surfaces of microbes via carbohydrate-dependent interaction, aggregating, opsonizing, and enhancing clearance of the organisms by alveolar macrophages in the lung. Pulmonary surfactant proteins A and D play dual roles in pulmonary homeostasis, determining the structure of alveolar lipids and mediating the innate host defense system of the lung.
authors.affiliation: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3039, USA. jeff.whitsett@cchmc.org
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Whitsett
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D008172:Lung Diseases, Fungal / Q000517:prevention & control; D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A / Q000502:physiology; D037721:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein C / Q000502:physiology; D037663:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D / Q000502:physiology; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D037662:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A; D037721:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein C; D037663:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants