All issues > Volume 46(4); 2003

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 2003;46(4):340-344. Published online April 15, 2003.

Allele Distribution and Frequency of Human Surfactant Protein-A2 in Korean Neonates

Nyeon Cheon NC Kim¹, Hee Chul HC Yoon¹, Jung Su JS Suk², Jung Ho JH Ko², Ook Joon OJ Yoo², In Kyu IK Lee¹, Myung Ho MH Oh¹, Chong Woo CW Bae³

¹Department of Pediatrics, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Chonan, Korea
²Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Korea
³Department of Pediatrics, Kyunghee University Hospital, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence Myung Ho MH Oh ,Email: omh@schch.co.kr

Abstract

Purpose
: We evaluated allele frequencies and distribution of surfactant protein A2(SP-A2) in Korean neonates in order to estimate the prevalence of RDS, to find out new SP-A alleles, and to establish new steroid therapy.
Methods
: Genomic DNA was extracted from 71 neonates and served as a template in PCR for genotype analysis. SP-A gene-specific amplications and gene-specific allele determinations were performed using PCR-cRFLP methods.
Results
: The distribution for the alleles of the SP-A2 gene in the study population was 1A, 1A0, 1A1, 1A2, 1A3, 1A5, 1A6, 1A7, 1A8, 1A9, 1A11, 1A12. The specific frequencies for the alleles of the SP- A2 gene in the study population were : 1A=11.3%, 1A0=38%, 1A1=12.7%, 1A2=9.2%, 1A5=15.5%, 1A7= 2.9%, 1A8=4.9%, 1A9=2.2%, others=3.3%.
Conclusion
: The frequency of 1A0 was higher than the other SP-A2 alleles in Korean neonates. This finding suggests that the prevalence of RDS in Korea may be low compared with other countries. However, this finding also suggests that Korean neonates have a high risk of infection.

Keywords :Surfactant, SP-A2, SP-A2 alleles, RDS, Steroid