mortality/aging
• most homozygous mutant mice died within 15-45 min after birth due to respiratory distress
|
• the postnatal survival rate of mutant mice was reduced to 3.2% vs 25% in wild-type
• adult survivors displayed no obvious abnormalities and were fertile
|
behavior/neurological
• mutant newborns never fed prior to death and did not contain milk in their stomachs
|
endocrine/exocrine glands
N |
• the thyroid of newborn mutants appeared histologically normal
|
homeostasis/metabolism
• newborn homozygotes displayed hypothermia
|
liver/biliary system
N |
• the liver and extrahepatic bile ducts appeared morphologically normal relative to wild-type
• mutant newborns showed normal plasma bilirubin levels relative to wild-type
• no bilirubin deposits were found in the mutant liver, kidney or brain
|
respiratory system
• at birth, mutant lungs failed to clear the amniotic fluid and inflate
• mutant lungs were cytologically and morphologically normal but appeared developmentally immature
|
• mutant type II alveolar cells displayed decreased and diffuse expression of surfactant-associated proteins
|
• the alveolar compartment failed to expand
• macrophages and debris were detected in the centroacinar spaces
|
atelectasis
(
J:25724
)
• mutant lungs exhibited atelectasis of variable intensity
|
• mutant newborns displayed arrhythmic breathing and chest spasms; however, no hyaline mebranes were observed
|
• decreased production and expression of surfactant proteins is decreased
|