We characterized the endothelin (ET) receptor subtypes responsible for signal transduction in cultured porcine kidney epithelial LLC-PK1 cells. Both ET-1 (IC50, 43 pM) and ET-3 (IC50, 46 pM) inhibited the binding of [125I]ET-1 to LLC-PK1 cells to a similar extent. The binding affinity of LLC-PK1 cells was about 10,000 times higher for the ETB antagonist BQ-788 [N-cis-2,6-dimethyl-piperidinocarbonyl-L-tau-metylleucyl-D-+ ++Nin- methoxycarbonyltryptophanyl-D-norleucine] (IC50, 1.3 nM) than for the ETA antagonist BQ-123 [cyclo-(D-Trp-D-Asp-Pro-D-Val-Leu)] (IC50, 14 microM). ET-1 enhanced cyclic GMP (cGMP) production, but reduced vasopressin- and forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP (cAMP) production. Both effects of ET-1 were antagonized by BQ-788, but not by BQ-123. The cAMP decrease, but not the cGMP increase, in response to ET-1 was inhibited by pertussis toxin, suggesting that the former response is mediated by pertussis toxin-sensitive Gi, whereas the latter is mediated by a pertussis toxin-insensitive G-protein. Therefore, the ETB receptors in LLC-PK1 cells couple to the two types of signal transduction cascades to reduce cAMP production and stimulate cGMP production via distinct G-proteins. ET-1 and probably also ET-3 may play a role in the regulation of renal epithelial transport by decreasing cAMP and increasing cGMP.