Developmental changes in enzyme activities in fetal and neonatal rabbit lung. Cytidylyltransferase, cholinephosphotransferase, phospholipases A1 and A2, beta-galactosidase, and beta-glucuronidase.

Lungs were obtained from rabbit fetuses (on each day from d 24 to d 30 of gestation), neonates and adults, and were fractionated for enzyme assays. The developmental profile of cytidylyltransferase shows a decrease in specific activity from d 25 to d 29 (P less than 0.05) then a sharp rise from d 30 to adult values in d 0 neonates (P less than 0.05). Cholinephosphotransferase specific activity changes little from d 25 to birth, apart from a non-significant peak on d 29. There is a sharp rise from neonatal d 0 to adult values on d 1 (P less than 0.01). The specific activity of microsomal phospholipase A2 declines from d 25 to reach adult values in the neonate (P = 0.05). In contrast, the specific activity of lysosomal phospholipase A2 rises from d 24-28 then falls in the neonate (P less than 0.05). Adult values are higher than those in the fetus and neonate. Three other lysosomal enzyme specific activities rise to d 28 then decline: phospholipase A1, beta-galactosidase, and beta-glucuronidase. The results demonstrate that the level of microsomal phospholipase A2 does not control the extent of remodelling of phosphatidylcholine for surfactant production. Lysosomal phospholipase A2 only increases in parallel with the other lysosomal enzymes, indicating an increase in the number of lysosomes in the lung.