Cholera toxin (CT) irreversibly ADP-ribosylates and activates the nucleotide-stimulatory (Ns) subunit of adenylate cyclase in many tissues, thereby eliciting cyclase-dependent functions. Although earlier studies performed at room temperature could not demonstrate CT-stimulated water transport in toad urinary bladder, subsequent work in other tissues has emphasized the need for incubation at 35-37 degrees C to effect ribosylation and the subsequent physiological effects. We found that incubating tissues with amphibian culture media, rather than Ringer solution, maintained tissue viability at this higher temperature and permitted prolonged incubation with CT. At 37 degrees C, in the presence of 0.1 mM phosphodiesterase inhibitor (1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine, MIX), 0.2-200 nM mucosal CT caused a dose-dependent but submaximal enhancement of water flux and urea transport. Elimination of MIX from the bath diminished subsequent CT-induced stimulation, supporting a role for adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) as mediator of the CT effect. The increased water flow was stable for greater than 1 h after removal of CT from the bath, consistent with irreversible stimulation of the cyclase. Mucosal CT stimulated transport to a greater degree than serosal CT, paralleling the pattern seen in the intestine, which is compatible with passage of the toxin's a subunit across the cell to the serosal membrane cyclase. Exposure of the tissue's mucosal surface to GM1 ganglioside, (the natural receptor for the CT b subunit) yielded maximal stimulation of water flow and near-maximal urea transport, presumably by increasing CT's binding to the cell membrane.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)