It is known that nerve growth factor (NGF) induces neurite outgrowth and elevation of the activity of adrenergic marker enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in clonal rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12), whereas glioma-conditioned medium (GCM) induces neurite outgrowth and elevation of the activity of cholinergic marker enzyme, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in PC12 cells. In the previous study we have shown that retinoic acid (RA) induces specific elevation of ChAT activity and depression of TH activity without morphological differentiation (Matsuoka, I. et al., Brain Res., 502 (1989]. In the present study, we compared the effects of NGF, GCM and RA on the intracellular signalings in PC12 cells in relation to the mechanism of cholinergic differentiation. Addition of NGF, GCM or RA to the culture medium of PC12 cells caused a rapid rise in intracellular Ca2+ concentration [( Ca2+]i) reaching the level of almost 2.5-fold the resting condition within 3-18 h. Thereafter, [Ca2+]i of NGF-treated cells were decreased to the resting level within 12 h. On the other hand, [Ca2+]i of GCM-and RA-treated cells decreased to a level which was 1.8- to 2-fold the resting condition within 24-48 h and stayed at this level for up to 4-7 days. When homogenates of GCM- and RA-treated PC12 cells were incubated with [gamma-32P]ATP, phosphorylation of a protein with molecular mass of 27 kDa (27 K-protein) was specifically enhanced. The phosphorylation of the 27 K-protein was not seen in the homogenate of the NGF-treated cells. The phosphorylation of the 27 K-protein was dependent on Ca2+ and inhibited by inhibitors of Ca2+-dependent protein kinase, H-7 and W-7. Addition of H-7 and W-7 to the culture medium of PC12 cells abolished the elevation of ChAT activity specifically induced by GCM and RA. These observations suggested that the sustained increase of [Ca2+]i and Ca2+-dependent protein phosphorylation are involved in the intracellular signaling mechanism required for the cholinergic differentiation of PC12 cells induced by GCM and RA.