The dihydropyridine derivative B859-35 inhibits phospholipid- and calcium-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) in cell-free extracts from NIH3T3 cells. Inhibition is competitive with regard to phosphatidylserine. At 1 microM phosphatidylserine, half-maximal inhibition (IC50) is obtained at approximately 2.5 microM B859-35. 12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-dependent activation of the Na+/H+ antiporter was used to determine whether the enzyme is also affected in intact cells. The activity of the antiporter was monitored by following the dimethylamiloride-sensitive cytosolic alkalinization. It is demonstrated that B859-35 depresses the TPA-induced alkalinization with an IC50 of 5 microM, indicating that PKC in intact cells and the enzyme in cell-free extracts are equally sensitive to the drug. TPA-induced expression of the c-fos gene was used as an additional marker for intracellular PKC activity. Activation of c-fos expression was determined by measuring chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) activity in cells transfected with a c-fosCAT construct in which the CAT gene is expressed under the control of the endogenous human c-fos promoter. The studies revealed that 2.5 microM B859-35, a concentration equivalent to the IC50 in cell-free extracts, significantly depresses TPA-induced c-fosCAT expression. B859-35 inhibited cellular proliferation of NIH3T3 cells with an IC50 of approximately 5 microM. This is close to the IC50 for the anti-PKC activity of B859-35. It is suggested that the inhibition of PKC contributes to the growth inhibition following exposure to B859-35.