Expression of sialic acid on the alveolar surface of adult and fetal human lungs.

Lung alveoli are coated by a thin layer of extracellular material rich in anionic charges. The nature of this acid layer and its relationship to the phospholipid surfactant are not known. We investigated the possible presence of sialic acid groups by light and electron microscopy in tissues from normal fetal and adult lungs, using neuraminidase treatment followed by staining with the galactose-binding lectin from peanut, labeled with peroxidase. Our results showed that adult lung does not bear peanut lectin-reactive sites but that a very thin and distinct reactive layer becomes evident after neuraminidase treatment, especially on type II pneumocytes. In fetal lung, the entire surface of the developing respiratory tree is outlined by a strongly peanut lectin-reactive layer even if neuraminidase digestion is not performed. We conclude that the acid coat of the alveolar lining is in part composed of sialic acid residues and that sialic acid is added to the fetal lung as the alveoli mature.