J Korean Pediatr Soc.  2003 Apr;46(4):340-344.

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

• Kim NC
• Yoon HC
• Suk JS
• Ko JH
• Yoo OJ
• Lee IK
• Oh MH
• Bae CW

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.

Keyword

Surfactant; SP-A2; SP-A2 alleles; RDS; Steroid

MeSH Terms

Alleles*
DNA
Gene Frequency
Genotype
Humans*
Infant, Newborn*
Korea
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Prevalence
DNA