The lectin wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) elicited a prompt and sharp increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration in human platelets. The WGA-induced Ca2+ mobilization was markedly inhibited by a protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine, whereas Ca2+ mobilization by receptor-mediated agonists, including thrombin, platelet-activating factor, and arginine-vasopressin, was not. In contrast, the lectin-induced Ca2+ mobilization was resistant to cyclic AMP inhibition, compared with that induced by receptor-mediated agonists. These findings indicate that the mechanism of intracellular Ca2+ mobilization, or possibly phospholipase C activation, induced by WGA is different from that induced by receptor-mediated agonists in human platelets.