Constitutive endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene expression is regulated during lung development

Nitric oxide (NO), a potent vasodilator, is a free-radical gas synthesized from L-arginine by nitric oxide synthases (NOS). NO appears to have an important role in perinatal changes in pulmonary vascular resistance. We previously identified mRNA encoding the constitutive endothelial NOS (ceNOS) isoform in human pulmonary tissue. To begin investigating functions of this enzyme in perinatal pulmonary development, we measured ceNOS mRNA and immunoreactivity in the developing rat lung. With the use of RNA blot hybridization, abundant pulmonary ceNOS mRNA was detected during the late fetal and postnatal period. The highest levels were detected within 24 h after birth, and elevated mRNA levels persisted for 16 days. In contrast, much lower levels of ceNOS mRNA were found in adult rat lung. With the use of immunoblot techniques, ceNOS protein levels were found to be correlated with mRNA levels. To identify the pulmonary cell types expressing the ceNOS gene, in situ hybridization with a digoxigenin-labeled cRNA probe was performed on sections from lungs of 1-day-old and adult rats. In lungs from 1-day-old rats, ceNOS mRNA was detected in alveolar and serosal epithelial cells as well as in endothelial cells lining small and medium-sized blood vessels. In contrast, in adult lungs, ceNOS gene transcripts were detected in rare endothelial cells. These observations suggest that ceNOS gene expression is regulated during lung development and that ceNOS is available to participate in the postnatal reduction of pulmonary vascular resistance. ceNOS gene expression in nonendothelial cells in the neonatal rat lung suggests that NO may also contribute to nonvascular functions in the developing lung.