Cells of the clonal rat osteogenic sarcoma cell line, UMR 106-01, were used to investigate the regulation of collagen synthesis by PTH in osteoblastic cells. Monolayer cultures of cells were labeled with [3H] proline in order to determine both collagen type and rates of production. Analysis of labeled extracellular polypeptides on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that UMR 106-01 cells synthesized predominantly type I collagen, accounting for 45.48 +/- 2.09% of the radioactivity incorporated into total protein. After 24-h treatment with bovine PTH (1-34, 10(-8) M), collagen synthesis (i.e. collagenase-digestible protein) was decreased to 29.45 +/- 1.39% of total protein production. This decrease was first observed 12 h after addition of hormone and greatest inhibition was achieved at 24 h. The effect of PTH was dose dependent, with half-maximal inhibition of collagen synthesis occurring at 5 x 10(-10) M after 24-h treatment. In contrast, when steady state levels of mRNA for type I collagen chains were examined by Northern blot analysis, the concentration of PTH that reduced collagen synthesis by 35-45% (10(-8) M), caused a net decrease of approximately 80-96% in the number of procollagen transcripts; a small reduction in beta-actin mRNA levels was also observed. The effect of the hormone on procollagen message level was dose dependent, with significant inhibition observed at 10(-10) M PTH and, as with collagen synthesis, maximal after 24 h.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)