Central injections of angiotensin II (AngII) increase both water and NaCl intake. These effects of AngII occur largely through stimulation of the AngII type 1 (AT(1)) receptor. Stimulation of the AT(1) receptor leads to a number of intracellular events, including phospholipase C (PLC) activation and the subsequent formation of diacylglycerol and inositol trisphosphate (IP(3)), which then activate protein kinase C (PKC) and increase intracellular calcium, respectively. In addition, AT(1) receptor stimulation leads to the activation of MAPK family members. Recent experiments using mutated AT(1) receptor constructs or the AngII analog Sar(1),Ile(4),Ile(8)-AngII (SII) revealed that MAPK activation can occur independent of PLC/PKC/IP(3) activation. The present experiments used in vitro and in vivo approaches to clarify the cellular and behavioral responses to SII. Specifically, SII mimicked AngII stimulation of MAPK in AT(1) receptor-transfected COS-1 cells and rat brain but blocked the effects of AngII in two distinct settings: in vitro stimulation of IP(3) and in vivo increases in water intake. Moreover, SII increased intake of 1.5% NaCl, despite the SII blockade of IP(3) formation and water intake. Examination of brain tissue showed increases in Fos expression in several AngII-sensitive brain areas after injection of AngII, but not SII. The lack of SII-induced IP(3) production, water intake, and Fos expression strongly suggest that the PLC/PKC/IP(3) pathway is required for water intake, but not NaCl consumption stimulated by AngII. Collectively, these results support the hypothesis that divergent intracellular signals from a single receptor type can give rise to separable behavioral phenomena.