The role of protein kinase C in the regulation of osteoclast function is not known. We therefore compared the effect of phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), which activates protein kinase C, on the resorptive function, motility, and morphology of osteoclasts from rat and chick. PMA caused a significant reduction in resorption pit number in both species; rat osteoclasts were more sensitive, being significantly inhibited at doses of 10(-9)-10(-6) M compared with 10(-7)-10(-6) M for chick osteoclasts. The inactive analog PMA-alpha was without significant effect, and inhibition was not blocked by 10(-6) M indomethacin. In time course experiments, inhibition at 24 h was similar to or greater than inhibition at 6 h, indicating a persistent or progressive effect on bone resorption. Removal of PMA after 6 h prompted partial recovery of bone-resorptive ability in chick osteoclasts but not rat, at least over a 48 h incubation. In time-lapse video studies of rat osteoclasts, 10(-6) M PMA produced an immediate but transient cessation of motility and retraction of the cell margin into prominent filopodia. Motility resumed within 2.5 h after addition, but the osteoclasts remained partially contracted. Chick osteoclasts behaved similarly but showed no formation of filopodia at the cell periphery and a more rapid recovery of motility than rat osteoclasts; chick osteoclasts also underwent a transient vacuolation following PMA exposure, whereas rat osteoclasts did not. Despite differences in the sensitivity of rat and chick osteoclasts to PMA, these results suggest a fundamental role for protein kinase C in the inhibition of osteoclasts from both species.