Ca(2+)-dependent regulation of [3H]noradrenaline ([3H]NA) uptake through the NA transporter was studied using PC12 cells. Preincubation for 10 min in the presence of 0.3-10 mM ca2+ in Krebs-Ringer (KR) buffer induced marked enhancement of the uptake (at 1 mM Ca2+, 6.6 times greater than that observed in the absence of Ca2+), which reflected both an increase in Vmax and a decrease in K(m) of the uptake process. Preincubation with 1 mM Ca2+ also induced a significant increase in the Bmax and Kd of [3H]desipramine binding. The uptake was still enhanced after washing cells with Ca(2+)-free buffer following preincubation with 1 mM Ca2+. 1-[N, O-bis(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-N-methyl-L-tyrosyl]-4-phenylpiperazine (KN-62), 2-[N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-N-(4-methoxybenzenesulfonyl)]amino-N-(4-c hlo rocinnamyl) -N-methylbenzylamine (KN-93) (inhibitors of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II), N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulonamide (W-7) (a calmodulin antagonist), wortmannin (a myosin light chain kinase inhibitor) significantly reduced Ca(2+)-dependent enhancement of the uptake. Mycalolide B (an inhibitor of actin-myosin interaction) also inhibited the enhancement. Although calphostin C (a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor) did not affect the enhancement, 12-o-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) inhibited the uptake. A synthetic peptide with a sequence (KKVIYKFFS579 IRGSLW) contained in the intracellular COOH-terminal domain of a rat NA transporter was phosphorylated by purified brain Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. These results suggest that Ca(2+)-dependent enhancement of the [3H]NA uptake in PC12 cells are mediated by activation of calmodulin-dependent protein kinases, probably through stimulation of translocation of the NA transporter to the plasma membrane and/or direct phosphorylation of the transporter itself.