| ID | Sequence | Length | GC content |
|---|---|---|---|
| GACUUGGAGGCAGAGACCCAAGCAGCUGGAGGCUCUGUGUGUGGCCUGG… | 2216 nt | 0.5284 | |
| GACUUGGAGGCAGAGACCCAAGCAGCUGGAGGCUCUGUGUGUGGGUCGC… | 2186 nt | 0.5233 | |
| GACUUGGAGGCAGAGACCCAAGCAGCUGGAGGCUCUGUGUGUGGCAGCC… | 2072 nt | 0.5203 | |
| GACUUGGAGGCAGAGACCCAAGCAGCUGGAGGCUCUGUGUGUGGGUCGC… | 2080 nt | 0.5144 | |
| GACUUGGAGGCAGAGACCCAAGCAGCUGGAGGCUCUGUGUGUGGGAGCA… | 2159 nt | 0.5220 | |
| GACUUGGAGGCAGAGACCCAAGCAGCUGGAGGCUCUGUGUGUGGGUCGC… | 2215 nt | 0.5242 |
This gene encodes a lung surfactant protein that is a member of a subfamily of C-type lectins called collectins. The encoded protein binds specific carbohydrate moieties found on lipids and on the surface of microorganisms. This protein plays an essential role in surfactant homeostasis and in the defense against respiratory pathogens. Mutations in this gene are associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Alternate splicing results in multiple transcript variants. [provided by RefSeq, May 2010]
A study in humans demonstrated that SFTPA1 mRNA is a highly expressed biomarker for lung tissue identification, with an average read count of 142,360, and was successfully utilized in a targeted massively parallel sequencing assay designed to definitively identify 10 organ/tissue types [Hanson and Ballantyne DOI:10.3390/genes8110319]. A review further confirms the SFTPA1 is a key marker used in targeted MPS assays for lung tissue identification within forensic transcriptome analyses for body fluid and tissue identification [Haas et al. DOI:10.1016/j.fsigen.2021.102486]. A study in rats demonstrated that intra-alveolar granular staining of surfactant protein A (SP-A) was more severe in the lungs of drowned animals compared to postmortem submersion and control groups, indicating its potential as a marker for diagnosing drowning [Lee et al. DOI:10.1111/1556-4029.13347]. In a separate investigation using mice and human autopsy samples, the intrapulmonary expression of the SFTPA1 was significantly suppressed specifically in freshwater drowning cases compared to saltwater drowning, postmortem immersion, and other causes of death, supporting its forensic utility for this differentiation [Hayashi et al. DOI:10.1007/S00414-008-0235-5].