Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and carbachol both inhibit calcium-activated chloride secretion by the human colonic epithelial cell line, T 84 . Although the inhibitory mechanism for the carbachol effect involves the 3,4,5,6-isomer of inositol tetrakisphosphate, the mechanisms responsible for the EGF effect have not yet been fully elucidated. Here, we studied the role of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) in the inhibitory effect of EGF. The PI 3-kinase inhibitor, wortmannin, slightly increased basal chloride secretion and potentiated the secretory response to thapsigargin. Wortmannin also partially reversed EGF-induced, but not carbachol-induced, inhibition of thapsigargin-stimulated chloride secretion. Wortmannin alone had no effect on carbacholor histamine-induced chloride secretion and completely reversed EGF-induced inhibition of the secretory response to these agonists. EGF, carbachol, histamine, and thapsigargin all increased levels of the 85-kDa regulatory subunit of PI 3-kinase in antiphosphotyrosine immunoprecipitates. However, only EGF significantly increased levels of the 110-kDa catalytic subunit. Furthermore, only EGF increased PI 3-kinase activity in an in vitro kinase assay. High levels of phosphatidylinositol (3)-monophosphate were present in unstimulated cells and significantly reduced by wortmannin. EGF, but not carbachol, rapidly increased levels of phosphatidylinositol (3,4)-bisphosphate and phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate. Production of these lipids was also sensitive to wortmannin. Our data suggest that EGF activates PI 3-kinase and that its lipid products may mediate the inhibitory effect of EGF on calcium-dependent chloride secretion. Our data also suggest that a phosphatidylinositol-specific 3-kinase activity is present in unstimulated T 84 cells and may regulate production of phosphatidylinositol (3)-monophosphate and basal secretory tone.The regulation of intestinal epithelial chloride transport is under the control of neural, humoral, and immune-related mechanisms (1). As the active transepithelial movement of chloride into the gastrointestinal lumen is an important mechanism governing the passive movement of water, breakdown in the regulation of this process can lead to excessive secretory responses, resulting in diarrhea. Our laboratory has focused on understanding the intracellular mechanisms responsible for the regulation of chloride secretion.Chloride secretion is positively regulated via two predominant pathways, utilizing cyclic nucleotides or calcium as second messengers, respectively (1). Calcium-dependent secretion can be evoked experimentally by agents such as the muscarinic agonist, carbachol, histamine, or the calcium ATPase inhibitor, thapsigargin. All of these stimuli elevate cytoplasmic calcium concentrations, which in turn evokes secretion. Moreover, we have shown that calcium-dependent chloride secretion is also subject to a number of negative regulatory influences. Thus carbachol, while itself serving as an initial agonist of chloride secretion, ...