This gene is one of several genes encoding pulmonary-surfactant associated proteins (SFTPA) located on chromosome 10. Mutations in this gene and a highly similar gene located nearby, which affect the highly conserved carbohydrate recognition domain, are associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The current version of the assembly displays only a single centromeric SFTPA gene pair rather than the two gene pairs shown in the previous assembly which were thought to have resulted from a duplication.