Human polymorphonuclear neutrophils aggregate and degranulate in response to 2 recently described platelet-activating phospholipids: 1-O-alkyl-2-O-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and 1-O-alkyl-2-O-ethyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. Here, we find that the 2 phospholipids can also desensitize neutrophils. Thus, cells incubated with either phosphocholine for 1 to 5 min in the absence of calcium and magnesium (which are required for aggregation) did not aggregate when exposed to the bivalent cations and fresh lipid stimulus. Also, cells incubated with either lipid for 5 min in the absence of cytochalasin B (which is required for degranulation) did not degranulate when exposed to cytochalasin B and fresh lipid stimulus. However, these desensitized neutrophils aggregated and degranulated fully in response to the chemotactic oligopeptide N-formyl-methionyl-leucylphenylalanine and C5a. In relation to the aggregation response, this selective desensitization was not due to lipid inactivation; it persisted after thorough cell washing; and it was not induced by a nonaggregating analogue, 1-O-alkyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphocholine. Furthermore, cells desensitized to the formylated oligopeptide or C5a (by preincubation with either stimulus in the absence of bivalent cations) did not aggregate when challenged with the oligopeptide or C5a, respectively, but exhibited a normal or enhanced aggregation response to the 2 active phospholipids. These data support the concept that C5a, formylated oligopeptides, and phosphocholines represent 3 distinct classes of stimulants that activate and densensitize neutrophils by at least partially independent pathways. This activation and desensitization may be mediated by 3 types of cellular receptors, each of which interacts with only 1 class of stimuli.