Surfactant protein and CC-10 expression in acute lung injury and in response to keratinocyte growth factor.

is expressed at the onset of thyroid and lung morphogenesis and in restricted regions of the foetal brain.specific expression of the murine surfactant protein A (SPA) gene is mediated by interactions between the SPA promoter and thyroid transcription factor-1. surfactant protein B gene promoter is a target for thyroid transcription factor 1 and hepatocyte nuclear factor 3, indi¬ cating common factors for organ-specific gene expression along the foregut axis. The T/ebp null mouse: thyroid-specific enhancer-binding protein is essential for the organogenesis of the thyroid, lung, ventral forebrain and 9 Stahhnan MT, Gray ME, Whitsett JA. Expression of thyroid transcriptional factor-1 (TTF-1) in fetal and neonatal human lung. Successful infection of the respiratory tract occurred with detection of the 40-kd core protein of biglycan or decorin by Western blot analysis in the BAL at 3 and 7 days. Histologic findings from the lungs of animals in¬ fected with the AdBGN showed a fibroblastic response in the interstitium and a fibrotic thickening of the pleura, with evidence of increased collagen but not elastin deposi-ton at both sites using specific histochemical staining (elastic van Gieson [Miller stain]). These interstitial and pleural changes were evident at day 7 and 14 but had largely resolved by day 21. No such fibroblastic responses were seen in the AdDEC-or the AdE2 delete-treated animals. In conclusion, we have demonstrated a successful sys¬ tem for transiently overexpressing the core proteins of the small proteoglycan biglycan or decorin and suggest that biglycan may play a novel role in the process of fibrogen-esis aside from its structural function. "Oiglycan and decorin are small chondroitin-dermatan .** sulfate proteoglycans which form part of the extracel¬ lular matrix. In addition to their structural roles, they may have other important effects on cell behavior by binding via their core proteins to the potentially fibrogenic cyto¬ kine transforming growth factor-pl, and indeed their expression is altered in fibrotic tissues from lung, kidney, and liver. Previous studies on the role of these proteogly¬ cans have been difficult due to the problems of purifying them from tissues in sufficient quantities. We have there¬ fore engineered replication-deficient recombinant adeno¬ virus 5 vectors expressing the cDNAs of the human biglycan [AdBGN] and decorin [AdDEC] core proteins and used these to transiently overexpress biglycan and decorin in the rat respiratory tract. Sprague-Dawley rats were injected intratracheally with 109 plaque-forming units of AdBGN, AdDEC, or control [Ex delete] virus, and the BAL …