Studies were performed to determine the effects of PTH and related compounds on phosphatidylcholine (PC) hydrolysis in UMR-106 cells and the pathway by which the PTH effects occurred. The responses were compared with those of phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu). Both bovine PTH-(1-34) [bPTH-(1-34)] and PDBu stimulated PC hydrolysis within 10 min. Significant effects were elicited by concentrations of 0.3-1 nM bPTH-(1-34) and 5 nM PDBu. Dose-dependent increases were seen at higher concentrations of both compounds, however, the response to bPTH-(1-34) was reduced at 30 nM. Bovine or human PTH-(1-34) and human PTH-related peptide-(1-34) [hPTHrP-(1-34)] were equipotent in their effects, whereas bovine [Nle(8,18)Tyr(34)]PTH-(3-34) amide [bPTH-(3-34)] and hPTH-(1-31) amide [hPTH-(1-31)] were less potent than bPTH-(1-34). bPTH-(3-34) did not antagonize the effects of bPTH-(1-34). Down-regulation of protein kinase C isozymes by 24-h treatment with PDBu completely prevented the stimulatory effect of PDBu on PC hydrolysis, but did not significantly affect the stimulatory effect of bPTH-(1-34). Both bPTH-(1-34) and PDBu stimulated transphosphatidylation of PC, indicating a phospholipase D-stimulated mechanism. The results suggest that in the UMR-106 cell line PTH can stimulate activation of PLD by a mechanism other than through protein kinase C.