From rxpgnews.com
A1 lets lungs breathe a sigh of relief
By Journal of Clinical Investigation
Apr 3, 2005, 13:11
Patients with lung and heart disease are commonly given supplemental oxygen, however very high concentrations of oxygen administered for extended periods of time can trigger lung injury.
The mechanism underlying this lung injury has not been characterized. In a study appearing in the April 1 issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation, Jack Elias and colleagues from Yale University demonstrate that a protein called A1 is a critical regulator in this type of lung injury.
The authors also show that high oxygen concentration stimulates A1, that A1 regulates death of cells in the lung, and that it plays a central role in the induction of other proteins that modulate programmed cell death. In mice lacking A1, the harmful effects of oxygen are intensified whereas overexpressing A1 decreases lung cell death in the presence of oxygen.
In an accompanying commentary, G.R.Scott Budinger and Jacob Sznajder writes that these studies will "influence future investigations into the molecular mechanisms by which these [A1] pathways become activated to contribute to�lung injury."
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