1. The relationship of the activation of a voltage-sensitive chloride conductance [GCl(V)] to the chloride transmembrane equilibrium potential (ECl) and the consequent role of this conductance in determining the effect of the gamma-aminobutyric acid-A (GABAA) receptor-mediated transmembrane chloride (Cl-) flux were investigated with the use of whole-cell recordings in the CA1 and dentate gyrus regions of adult rat hippocampal slice preparations. 2. GCl(V) was inwardly rectifying, with significant conductance only at membrane potentials more negative than ECl. For all tested neuronal Cl- concentrations, the activation of GCl(V) could be described by a Boltzman equation with an average half-activation voltage 15 mV negative to ECl, a slope factor of 14 mV, and a maximum conductance of 5 microS. There was no time-dependent inactivation of GCl(V). 3. GCl(V) was modulated by intracellular divalent cations. When magnesium was omitted from the electrode solution, the inward rectification of GCl(V) was unchanged, but the maximum amplitude of GCl(V) increased by a factor of 1.7. GCl(V) was blocked by bath application of 100 microM zinc (Zn2+), but not when 1-6 mM ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) or bis-(o-aminophenoxy)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA) were present in the electrode solution. 4. GCl(V) was increased by 10 microM norepinephrine, and by activation of protein kinase A (PKA) with 1 mM 8-bromoadenosine cyclic monophosphate (8-Br cAMP). GCl(V) was blocked by activation of protein kinase C (PKC) with 10 microM phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PdBu) or 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol (OAG). 5. GCl(V) was present in all tested CA1 pyramidal neurons but no dentate gyrus neurons. In standard extracellular solution, the amplitude of GCl(V) was initially negligible but increased with recording time, suggesting that under normal conditions GCl(V) is blocked by an endogenous divalent cation or downregulated by PKC. 6. In current-clamp recordings, the steady-state resting membrane potential (RMP) diminished with Cl- loading, from -73 mV (4 mM electrode Cl-) to -27 mV (131 mM electrode Cl-). When GCl(V) was blocked with PdBu, there was no change in the RMP with Cl- loading. When electroneutral Cl- transport was blocked, voltage-clamp experiments using electrode Cl- concentrations of 4-131 mM demonstrated that ECl changed in parallel with the holding potential, but not when GCl(V) was blocked by PdBu.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)