Stimulation of mouse RAW 264.7 macrophages with UTP activates both the inositol phosphate signal transduction pathway and the phospholipase A2 pathway. In the present study, we investigated the interactions between bacterial lipopolysaccharide and UTP in these two systems and the underlying mechanisms involved. While the UTP-induced release of arachidonic acid was only 2.9-fold that in controls, priming the cells with 1 microgram/ml lipopolysaccharide for 1 h before UTP treatment resulted in 9.2-fold arachidonic acid release upon stimulation with UTP. Lipopolysaccharide priming was both concentration- and time-dependent with a peak effect after 1 h treatment at a concentration of 1 microgram/ml. Lipopolysaccharide treatment affect neither the basal nor the UTP-stimulated inositol phosphate formation and [Ca2+]i rise. Pretreatment of the cells with staurosporine, calphostin, N-(2-aminoethyl)-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide H-7), genistein or K-252a led marked inhibition of the priming effect, suggesting that both protein kinase C and tyrosine kinase are involved in the lipopolysaccharide effect. Buffering intracellular Ca2+ levels using [1,2-bis-(o-aminophenoxyl)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid tetra(acetoxymethyl)ester] (BAPTA/AM) or pretreatment with either N-[2-(p-bromocinnamylamino)ethyl]-5-isoquinoline-sulfonamide (H-89), 2-(2-amino-3-methoxyphenyl)-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one (PD098059) or {1-N,O-bis-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-N-methyl-L-tyrosyl] -4-phenyl-piperazine (KN-62) did not affect the lipopolysaccharide-induced priming effect. Primed UTP stimulation was inhibited by actinomycin D and cycloheximide, indicating a requirement for both gene expression and protein translation. To further examine whether the stimulatory effects of lipopolysaccharide on phospholipase A2 activity were independent of [Ca2+]i levels but dependent on protein phosphorylation, a fixed Ca2+ concentration and inhibitors of protein phosphatases were used in primed permeabilized cells. Arachidonic acid release from permeabilized cells containing 100 nM Ca2+ was high in lipopolysaccharide-primed cells and potentiated by addition of microcystin, orthovanadate or FK 506. These results that the Ser/Thr and tyrosine phosphorylation cascades induced by protein kinase C and tyrosine kinase, respectively, are required for the arachidonic acid potentiation effect of lipopolysaccharide, which was independent of modulation of the upper stream signaling pathways of UTP.