We have investigated the effect of phorbol esters and the down-regulation of protein kinase C on contraction of guinea-pig ileum longitudinal smooth muscle to carbachol and high K+. 2. Phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) enhanced the phasic component and inhibited or enhanced, respectively, the tonic component of contraction to carbachol and high K+. In contrast, 4 alpha-phorbol, which does not activate protein kinase C, had no effect on these responses. 3. Exposure to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA; 1 microM) for up to 8 h induced a time-dependent loss of [3H]-PDBu binding sites, consistent with the down-regulation of protein kinase C by this treatment. 4. The phasic component of contraction to carbachol or high K+ was unaffected following the down-regulation of protein kinase C. The tonic component of contraction to carbachol was markedly enhanced by this treatment while that to high K+ was partially suppressed. 5. These data suggest that although the activation of protein kinase C can lead to potentiation of the phasic component of contraction to carbachol or high K+, this appears to have little physiological significance since the response is not altered in tissues in which protein kinase C has been down-regulated. On the other hand, protein kinase C may limit the tonic contraction to carbachol but potentiate that to high K+.
