The cAMP-dependent activation of Cl- channels was studied in a bronchial epithelial cell line (16HBE14o-) in fast and slow whole-cell, and cell-attached patch-clamp experiments. The cells are known to express high levels of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator mRNA and protein. Isoproterenol, forskolin and histamine (all 10 mumol/l) reversibly and significantly depolarized the membrane voltage (Vm) and increased the whole-cell Cl- conductance significantly by 34.0 +/- 0.9 (n = 3), 18.1 +/- 2.7 (n = 50), and 25 +/- 4.5 (n = 37) nS respectively. The effect of histamine was blocked by cimetidine (10 mumol, n = 5) but not by diphenhydramine (10 mumol/l, n = 4), which suggests binding of histamine to H2 receptors. The forskolin-induced current was not inhibited significantly by 4,4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid (0.5 mmol/l, n = 9) nor glibenclamide (10 mumol/l, n = 3) and had an anion-permeability sequence of Cl = Br- > I- (n = 9). In cell-attached recordings forskolin (10 mumol/l) increased the conductance of the patched membrane from 65.5 +/- 13.6 pS to 150.8 +/- 33.2 pS (n = 30). Although the conductance was increased significantly, clear ion channel events occurring in parallel with the current activation were not detected in the cell-attached membrane. In 4 out of 30 cell-attached recordings single-channel currents were observed. These channels, with a single-channel conductance of about 6 pS, were already active before forskolin was added. No effect of forskolin on the channel amplitude, open probability or kinetics of these channels was observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)