The type 1 sodium-hydrogen exchanger (NHE-1) is a ubiquitous electroneutral membrane transporter that is activated by hypertonicity in many cells. NHE-1 may be an important pathway for Na ؉ entry during volume restoration, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying the osmotic regulation of NHE-1 are poorly understood. In the present study we conducted a screen for important signaling molecules that could be involved in hypertonicity-induced activation of NHE-1 in CHO-K1 cells. Hypertonicity rapidly activated NHE-1 in a concentration-dependent manner as assessed by proton microphysiometry and by measurements of intracellular pH on a FLIPR TM (fluorometric imaging plate reader). Inhibitors of Ca 2؉ /calmodulin (CaM) and Janus kinase 2 (Jak2) attenuated this activation, whereas neither calcium chelation nor inhibitors of protein kinase C, the Ras-ERK1/2 pathway, Src kinase, and Ca 2؉ /calmodulindependent enzymes had significant effects. Hypertonicity also resulted in the rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of Jak2 and STAT3 (the major substrate of Jak2) and CaM. Phosphorylation of Jak2 and CaM were blocked by AG490, an inhibitor of Jak2. Immunoprecipitation studies showed that hypertonicity stimulates the assembly of a signaling complex that includes CaM, Jak2, and NHE-1. Formation of the complex could be blocked by AG490. Thus, we propose that hypertonicity induces activation of NHE-1 in CHO-K1 cells in large part through the following pathway: hypertonicity 3 Jak2 phosphorylation and activation 3 tyrosine phosphorylation of CaM 3 association of CaM with NHE-1 3 NHE-1 activation.The ubiquitous isoform of the Na ϩ /H ϩ exchanger (NHE-1) 1 is essential for the regulation of cellular volume and intracellular pH. NHE-1 is nearly quiescent in resting cells but is activated by a variety of hormones and growth factors (1, 2). NHE-1 is also rapidly activated by hypertonic stress in many cells (3), and this may be an important pathway for Na ϩ entry during volume restoration. Despite the potential importance of this process, the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of NHE-1 by hypertonicity have not been fully elucidated. The rapid activation of NHE-1 is often associated with an increase in its phosphorylation (3). Kinases that have been shown to directly phosphorylate NHE-1 include p90 S6 kinase (4) and the Nck-interacting kinase (5). However, deletion of the major phosphorylation sites contained within residues 636 -815 of NHE-1 only reduces its response to growth factors by about 50% (6), suggesting that mechanisms of regulation other than direct phosphorylation of NHE-1 are also important.Hypertonicity-induced shrinkage of mammalian cells is a powerful stimulant for many protein kinases that could play important direct or indirect roles in activating NHE-1. These include mitogen-activated protein kinases such as extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK), stress-activated protein kinases (c-Jun N-terminal kinases) (7-10), Src family tyrosine kinases p59 fgr and p56/59 hck (11), protein kinase C (12-14), Jan...