Guanine nucleotide binding proteins (G proteins) sensitive to pertussis toxin (PTX) mediate the muscarinic receptor responses in several tissues. Therefore, the present study sought to investigate whether smooth muscle contractions and/or endothelium-dependent relaxations in response to acetylcholine (ACh) and other agonists were sensitive to PTX. In endothelium-denuded rabbit pulmonary artery rings, ACh, clonidine and serotonin produced concentration-dependent contractions which were markedly inhibited in nominally Ca+(+)-free medium and abolished in the presence of ethylene glycol bis (beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (0.2 mM). In endothelium-denuded arterial rings obtained from rabbits treated in vivo with PTX (5 micrograms/kg i.v., 5 days before sacrifice) maximum contractions to ACh, clonidine and serotonin were inhibited by 77, 67 and 35%, respectively. Contractions induced with KCl (10-40 mM) were also abolished in Ca+(+)-free medium, but they were not affected by PTX. Endothelium-dependent relaxations of phenylephrine-contracted pulmonary arteries in response to ACh adenosine triphosphate and substance P were also reduced or abolished upon removal of extracellular Ca++. However, the endothelium-dependent relaxations were not affected by PTX. These data demonstrate that contractions of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells after stimulation through muscarinic receptors, alpha adrenoceptors and serotonin receptors require the influx of extracellular Ca++. This receptor-stimulated Ca++ influx is likely to be regulated by a PTX-sensitive G protein. Also, the induction of release of relaxing factor from endothelial cells of the pulmonary artery via muscarinic, purinergic or substance P receptors requires extracellular Ca++. However, in these cells, a different mode of signal transduction, insensitive to PTX, seems to be involved.