Pulmonary collectins selectively permeabilize model bacterial membranes containing rough lipopolysaccharide

The lipid and rough lipopolysaccharide (LPS) components required for the permeabilizing effects of the collectins on model bacterial membranes are examined. The results show that surfactant proteins A (SP-A) permeabilizes phospholipid membranes in an LPS-dependent and rough-LPS-specific manner, that the effect is neither SP-A- nor species-specific, and that oxidative damage to SP-A abolishes its membrane destabilizing properties.