Stimulation of surfactant lipid secretion from fetal type II pneumocytes by gastrin-releasing peptide

Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) and bombesin apparently enhance the rate of secretion of surfactant lipids from cultured fetal rat type II pneumocytes. This effect, evident within 1 h of addition of the peptide, is concentration-dependent, with a maximal response at 3.0 nM. When the effect of GRP was assessed in comparison with other known secretagogues, it was found that, whereas GRP and isoproterenol were additive in their effect, there was no response to GRP in the presence of saturating concentrations of A23187 or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. This suggests that the secretory response to GRP is via activation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase and/or protein kinase C and is independent of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase. This conclusion is supported by the observation that the GRP-induced secretion is inhibited by calphostin C, an inhibitor of protein kinase C, but not by H-89, an inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The fact that GRP regulates surfactant secretion from type II pneumocytes suggests that it and/or related peptides may play a significant role in the physiological maturation of the lung.