The stimulation of cellular phospholipid uptake by surfactant apoproteins

Surfactant recycling by alveolar cells is influenced by the surfactant apoproteins SP-A, -B and -C (Wright, J.R. and Dobbs, L.G. (1991) Annu. Rev. Physiol. 53, 395-414). Alveolar macrophages and type II cells, but not lung fibroblasts, were reported to accumulate surfactant phospholipid in the presence of SP-A in low calcium medium, although high affinity binding of SP-A to alveolar macrophages and type II cells showed an absolute requirement for mM calcium. SP-B, one of two very hydrophobic surfactant proteins, stimulated phospholipid uptake by type II cells and Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts suspended in Dulbecco's minimum essential medium containing mM Ca2+. We postulated that calcium influences cellular phospholipid uptake stimulated by SP-A or SP-B. We used isolated rat alveolar and peritoneal macrophages and Vero cells, an African Green Monkey kidney fibroblast cell line, and studied the effect of calcium concentrations ranging from 2 microM to 2 mM on cellular uptake of liposomes containing 3H-labeled phosphatidylcholine. For alveolar and peritoneal macrophages, increasing calcium concentration enhanced SP-A stimulation of phospholipid uptake. SP-A did not stimulate phosphatidylcholine uptake by Vero cells. SP-B stimulated phosphatidylcholine uptake by alveolar and peritoneal macrophages and Vero cells independent of the calcium concentration. These studies demonstrate that the enhancement of phospholipid uptake in alveolar and peritoneal macrophages by SP-A, but not SP-B is augmented by calcium.