We have previously shown that inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) releases Ca2+ from an intracellular calcium store in permeabilized acinar cells of rat pancreas (H. Streb et al., 1983, Nature (London) 306:67-69). This observation suggests that IP3 might provide the missing link between activation of the muscarinic receptor and Ca2+ release from intracellular stores during stimulation. In order to localize the intracellular IP3-sensitive calcium pool, IP3-induced Ca2+ release was measured in isolated subcellular fractions. A total homogenate was prepared from acinar cells which had been isolated by a collagenase digestion method. Endoplasmic reticulum was separated from mitochondria, zymogen granules and nuclei by differential centrifugation. Plasma membranes and endoplasmic reticulum were separated by centrifugation on a sucrose step gradient or by precipitation with high concentrations of MgCl2. IP3-induced Ca2+ release per mg protein in the total homogenate was the same as in leaky cells and was sufficiently stable to make short separation procedures possible. In fractions obtained by either differential centrifugation at 7000 X g, sucrose-density centrifugation, or MgCl2 precipitation there was a close correlation of Ip3-induced Ca2+ release with the endoplasmic reticulum markers ribonucleic acid (r = 0.96, 1.00, 0.91, respectively) and NADPH cytochrome c reductase (r = 0.63, 0.98, 0.90, respectively). In contrast, there was a clear negative correlation with the mitochondrial markers cytochrome c oxidase (r = -0.64) and glutamate dehydrogenase (r = -0.75) and with the plasma membrane markers (Na+ + K+)-ATPase (r = -0.81) and alkaline phosphatase (r = -0.77) in all fractions analyzed. IP3-induced Ca2+ release was distributed independently of zymogen granule or nuclei content of the fractions as assessed by electron microscopy. The data suggest that inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate releases Ca2+ from endoplasmic reticulum in pancreatic acinar cells.