Osteoblast-like cells, such as UMR 106 osteosarcoma cells, are known to be growth stimulated by growth factors such as EGF. In contrast, factors such as PTH and prostaglandin E2 inhibit their growth. The exact signal transduction mechanisms by which these latter factors act remain to be elucidated. Here we show that simultaneous treatment of UMR 106 cells with EGF and PTH-(1-34) resulted in a level of DNA synthesis intermediate between the levels of treatment with epidermal growth factor (EGF) and PTH alone. This correlated with the interference of PTH-(1-34) early in an EGF receptor-linked signal transduction pathway, i.e. the EGF-induced activation of p42 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. This effect was also found for prostaglandin E2, and could be potentiated by the phosphodiesterase inhibitor isobutyl-methylxanthine and mimicked by forskolin and 8-bromo-cAMP. There was a strict correlation between the lowest concentration of PTH-(1-34) required to enhance protein kinase A (PKA) activity and that required to inhibit MAP kinase activation, whereas saturating amounts of PTH-(3-34), a PTH analog unable to elevate PKA activity, had no effect. Lysophosphatidic acid- and 12-O-tetracanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced MAP kinase activation were also inhibited by PTH-(1-34) and forskolin in these cells. Similar effects were seen on basic fibroblast growth factor-mediated MAP kinase activation in ROS 17/2.8 cells, indicating that this mechanism is a general feature of PTH in osteosarcoma cells. The inhibition of this mitogenic pathway through activation of PKA might play an important role in PTH-induced changes in proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts.