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Constitutive endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene expression is regulated during lung development
N Kawai1, D B Bloch, G Filippov
1Department of Anesthesia, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114, USA.
The American Journal of Physiology
|April 1, 1995
Summary
Nitric oxide (NO) synthase expression is high in developing rat lungs, particularly after birth, and decreases in adults. This suggests NO plays a key role in perinatal pulmonary vascular changes and potentially nonvascular lung development.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary physiology
- Molecular biology
- Developmental biology
Background:
- Nitric oxide (NO) is a vasodilator crucial for perinatal pulmonary vascular resistance changes.
- Constitutive endothelial nitric oxide synthase (ceNOS) mRNA was previously found in human pulmonary tissue.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate ceNOS gene expression and protein levels in developing rat lungs.
- Identify pulmonary cell types expressing ceNOS during perinatal development.
Main Methods:
- RNA blot hybridization to measure ceNOS mRNA levels.
- Immunoblot techniques to assess ceNOS protein levels.
- In situ hybridization to localize ceNOS mRNA in lung tissue.
Main Results:
- Abundant ceNOS mRNA and protein detected in late fetal and early postnatal rat lungs, peaking within 24 hours after birth.
- ceNOS expression significantly decreased in adult rat lungs.
- Neonatal rat lungs showed ceNOS mRNA in alveolar and serosal epithelial cells, and vascular endothelial cells, while adult lungs had rare endothelial expression.
Conclusions:
- ceNOS gene expression is developmentally regulated in the rat lung.
- The presence of ceNOS in neonatal lungs suggests its role in the postnatal reduction of pulmonary vascular resistance.
- ceNOS expression in non-endothelial cells indicates potential nonvascular functions in the developing lung.