Increased pulmonary blood flow does not alter surfactant protein gene expression in lambs within the first week of life

• Published in: American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology Vol. 286; no. 6; pp. L1237 - L1243
• Main Authors: Lee, Jae W, Ovadia, Boaz, Azakie, Anthony, Salas, Sonia, Goerke, Jon, Fineman, Jeffrey R, Gutierrez, Jorge A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.06.2004
• Subjects: Age Factors; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Endothelin-1 - physiology; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental - physiology; Nitric Oxide - physiology; Phosphatidylcholines - metabolism; Pregnancy; Pulmonary Circulation - physiology; Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A - genetics; Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein B - genetics; Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein C - genetics; Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins - genetics; RNA, Messenger - analysis; Sheep; Vascular Resistance - physiology
• DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00271.2003
• ISSN: 1040-0605

1 Anesthesiology, 2 Pediatrics, and 3 Surgery, and the 4 Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143 Submitted 7 August 2003 ; accepted in final form 23 January 2004 Neonates and infants with congenital heart disease with increased pulmonary blood flow suffer morbidity from poor oxygenation and decreased lung compliance. In a previous experiment involving 4-wk-old lambs with pulmonary hypertension secondary to increased pulmonary blood flow following an in utero placement of an aortopulmonary vascular graft, we found a decrease in surfactant protein (SP)-A gene expression as well as a decrease in SP-A and SP-B protein contents. To determine the timing of these changes, the objective of the present study was to characterize the effect of increased pulmonary blood flow and pulmonary hypertension on SP-A, -B, and -C gene expressions and protein contents within the first week of life. Of eight fetal lambs that underwent the in utero placement of the shunt, there was no difference in the expression of SP-A, -B, and -C mRNA levels or SP-A and -B protein contents compared with age-matched controls. The results showed that, in this model of congenital heart disease with pulmonary hypertension and increased pulmonary blood flow, the effect of the shunt on SP gene expression and protein content was not apparent within the first week of life. congenital heart disease Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: J. W. Lee, Dept. of Anesthesiology, Univ. of California San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Ave., Box 0648, San Francisco, CA 94143 (E-mail: leejw{at}anesthesia.ucsf.edu ).