Content of the 26-38-kD surfactant apoprotein (SP-A) was determined in lung homogenates from fetal (17-21 d gestation), postnatal (1-28 d of life), and adult male and female rats by a double sandwich ELISA. Expression of mRNA for SP-A as well as the hydrophobic apoproteins, SP-B and SP-C, were also determined in lung homogenates from fetal and adult rats of both sexes by Northern blot analysis. SP-A was undetectable in fetal lungs on d 17 (day of birth = d 22) and barely detectable on d 18. On d 19 there was a 3- to 4-fold increase in SP-A content above d 18 levels. Between d 19 and 21 SP-A content significantly increased another 6- to 9-fold. SP-A content on the day of birth was not significantly different from that seen on gestational d 21. SP-A content decreased 35-40% between the day of birth and postnatal d 7. After the second postnatal week SP-A content gradually increased, reaching adult levels after d 28. No sex differences in SP-A content were observed during fetal or postnatal lung maturation. SP-A mRNA was first detected in fetal lungs on d 18 and increased in relative abundance until d 21, but remained below adult levels. Developmental changes in fetal lung SP-A content closely paralleled changes in fetal expression of SP-A mRNA. SP-B mRNA was also first detected on d 18, then increased in relative abundance to adult levels by d 20. SP-C mRNA was clearly detectable on d 17, then increased in relative abundance to adult levels by d 20-21. Unlike surfactant phospholipids, there are no apparent sex differences in the expression of any of the surfactant apoproteins during late gestation. The differences observed during fetal lung maturation in the time of onset and changes in relative abundance among the three apoprotein mRNA imply that their genes may be differentially regulated in the developing rat lung.