ATP in bile is a potent secretogogue, stimulating biliary epithelial cell (BEC) secretion through binding apical purinergic receptors. In response to mechanosensitive stimuli, BECs release ATP into bile, although the cellular basis of ATP release is unknown. The aims of this study in human and mouse BECs were to determine whether ATP release occurs via exocytosis of ATP-enriched vesicles and to elucidate the potential role of the vesicular nucleotide transporter SLC17A9 in purinergic signaling. Dynamic, multiscale, live cell imaging (confocal and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy and a luminescence detection system with a high sensitivity charge-coupled device camera) was utilized to detect vesicular ATP release from cell populations, single cells, and the submembrane space of a single cell. In response to increases in cell volume, BECs release ATP, which was dependent on intact microtubules and vesicular trafficking pathways. ATP release occurred as stochastic point source bursts of luminescence consistent with exocytic events. Parallel studies identified ATP-enriched vesicles ranging in size from 0.4 to 1 m that underwent fusion and release in response to increases in cell volume in a protein kinase C-dependent manner. Present in all models, SLC17A9 contributed to ATP vesicle formation and regulated ATP release. The findings are consistent with the existence of an SLC17A9-dependent ATPenriched vesicular pool in biliary epithelium that undergoes regulated exocytosis to initiate purinergic signaling.Purinergic signaling has emerged as a dominant pathway regulating biliary secretion and bile formation. Released into bile by both hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells (known as cholangiocytes) in response to mechanosensitive stimuli (cell swelling and flow/shear stress) (1-3), extracellular ATP activates P2 receptors in the apical membrane of targeted cholangiocytes, resulting in increases in [Ca 2ϩ ] i , activation of K ϩ (4, 5) and Cl Ϫ (6, 7) channels, and a robust secretory response (8). Recent studies suggest that even the classical model of biliary epithelial cell secretion wherein secretin stimulates Cl Ϫ secretion via increases in cAMP is mediated by a pathway regulated by ATP release and autocrine/paracrine stimulation of P2 receptors on the apical cholangiocyte membrane (9, 10). The cellular mechanism of biliary epithelial ATP release has not been identified. Two potential pathways exist: transporter/ channel-mediated or exocytosis of ATP-containing vesicles. Cholangiocytes express several ATP-binding cassette proteins, such as MDR-1 and the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) 2 (11, 12), implicated in ATP release. However, the effect of MDR-1 on ATP release can be disassociated from p-glycoprotein-related substrate transport, suggesting that MDR-1 per se is not likely to function as an ATP channel (13). Similarly, despite provocative data that CFTR functions as a regulator of ATP release, many cells exhibit ATP release in the absence of apparent CFTR express...