Changes in expression of platelet-derived growth factor and its receptors in the lungs of newborn rats exposed to air or 60% O₂

PDGF-related gene expression has been well characterized during fetal rat lung development and adult rat lung injury, but not during normal postnatal lung growth or injury. Lung expression of the mRNA for PDGF-A, -B, -αR, and -βR and immunoreactive PDGF-AA, -BB, -αR, and -βR were assessed in rat pups raised in air or 60% O₂ for up to 14 d after birth. Expression of mRNA and immunoreactive ligand did not correlate for pups raised in air. Immunoreactive PDGF-αR and -βR, but not PDGF-AA and -BB, were evident throughout the lung at birth. Both PDGF-AA and -BB were evident in airway epithelium, PDGF-BB in alveolar epithelial cells and PDGF-AA was widely distributed in parenchymal tissue at 4 d. PDGF-αR was localized to airway epithelium, and PDGF-βR to subendothelial perivascular regions and to airway and alveolar epithelium at 4 d. Immunoreactive PDGF ligands all declined after 4 d. Intraperitoneal injection of neutralizing antibodies or truncated soluble receptors to PDGF-BB reduced lung DNA synthesis in air. Exposure to 60% O₂ significantly increased mRNA for PDGF-B, -βR, and -αR, but not PDGF-A, relative to air-exposed lung at various time points after birth. PDGF-A, -B, and -αR immunoreactivities in these lungs were reduced and delayed, consistent with a global inhibition of lung growth. Pups exposed to 60% O₂ had a similar distribution of PDGF-βR to that seen in air, except that at 14 d PDGF-βR was distributed throughout the lung parenchyma. We conclude that PDGF ligands and receptors are important for normal postnatal lung growth and that their expression is delayed by O₂ exposure.