Surfactant protein C in canine pulmonary fibrosis.
BACKGROUND
Canine pulmonary fibrosis (CPF) occurs most commonly in West Highland White Terriers. The differing incidences of CPF among dog breeds suggest that genetic factors contribute to its pathophysiology. Pulmonary fibrosis in humans is associated with mutations in the gene coding for lung surfactant protein C (SP-C) (SFTPC).


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the histopathologic changes and SP-C composition and genetic structure in dogs with CPF.


METHODS
Five dogs with PF, 2 dogs with other lung diseases, and 3 healthy dogs.


METHODS
Lung tissue from dogs with clinically suspected CPF and 5 control cases was analyzed histopathologically. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) collected postmortem from 3 terriers with histopathologically confirmed pulmonary fibrosis and the 5 controls were analyzed by Western blots, and the exons of SFTPC were sequenced for 2 dogs with PF and 1 dog with other lung disease.


RESULTS
SP-C could not be detected in BALF of 1 dog with PF, although SP-B was present. A mutation was detected in SFTPC exon 5 of this dog. From 2 dogs with PF and in all 5 control dogs SP-B and SP-C were detected in BALF.


CONCLUSIONS
Taken together, the results indicate that canine and human lung fibrosis share histopathologic features and that analysis of SP-C and its gene in a larger set of dogs with PF is warranted.
Eriksson
M
M
Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
von Euler
H
H
Ekman
E
E
Nordling
K
K
Häggström
J
J
Johansson
J
J
D000818:Animals; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000662:veterinary*; D037721:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein C / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*
D037721:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein C