Cholecystokinin (CCK) is the major pancreatic secretagogue and acinar cell mitogen. This study was performed to determine by which effector systems CCK regulates tyrosine kinases, phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) 3-kinase, and phospholipase D (PLD) activities. Pancreatic acini loaded with [3H]myristic acid or [3H]inositol were used to assay PLD and PtdIns 3-kinase. G protein activation with NaF increased particulate and crude cytosolic tyrosine kinase and PLD activities. PLD activation was pertussis toxin sensitive. Inhibition of phospholipase C (PLC) slightly reduced caerulein-stimulated particulate tyrosine kinase and blocked crude cytosolic tyrosine kinase activity without affecting caerulein-induced PLD activity. Ca2+ is an important factor in caerulein stimulation of tyrosine kinase and PLD activities. Protein kinase C and tyrosine kinase inhibition abolished caerulein-activated particulate and crude cytosolic tyrosine kinase and PtdIns 3-kinase activities without any effect on PLD. Wortmannin inhibited PLD and PtdIns 3-kinase activation. Caerulein-induced amylase secretion was partially reduced by tyrosine kinase inhibition, with no effect from wortmannin. Caerulein can stimulate a pertussis toxin-insensitive G protein, leading to particulate tyrosine kinase activation and a Ca(2+)-sensitive cytosolic tyrosine kinase through PLC activation. However, PLD activation by caerulein is pertussis toxin sensitive, cytosolic Ca2+ sensitive, and independent of previous PLC and tyrosine kinase activation.