Spatiotemporal change of the cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+L) in response to a variety of secretagogues was examined in rat pancreatoma AR-42J and AR-IP cells by microspectroflurometry and digital imaging microscopy after loading with fura-2. In the presence of external Ca2+, carbachol, CCK-OP (cholecystokinin-octapeptide), gastrin, norepinephrine or high K+ evoked a large transient increase in [Ca2+]i in AR-42J cells which declined to a sustained level before slowly declining towards

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... the resting level. In the absence of external Ca2+, a transient increase in [Ca2+L were evoked by all the ligands except for high K+ stimulation, which declined rapidly towards the resting level. The [Ca2+]i increase caused by carbachol and high K+ treatment was inhibited by muscarinic receptor antagonist, atropin, and by L-type Ca2+ channel blocker, nifedipin, respectively. The transient [Ca2+]i increase induced by gastrin stimulation was not blocked by Ca2+ channel blocker, lanthanum. In the AR-IP cells, which are non-differentiated pancreatoma cell line, all stimulations including high K+ treatment have failed to evoke [Ca2+]i response. These intracelluar Ca2+ mobilizations in response to ligands in AR-42J cells were displayed by digital imaging microscopy. From these results we conclude that AR-42Jcells has an a-adrenergic receptor, in addition to muscarnic acetylcholine receptor, CCK-OP receptor, gastrin receptor and voltage dependent Ca2+ channel. In marked contrast, AR-IP cells have neither any hormonereceptor for the above ligands nor voltage dependent Ca2+channel.