A functional N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor has been identified on HT-4 cells, a clonal neural cell line, in which glutamate activates the receptor to elicit neurotransmitter secretion. Specific inhibitors of the NMDA receptor block glutamate-mediated secretion, and the characteristics of NMDA-mediated secretion parallel the reported properties of the NMDA receptor. Excitatory amino acid secretion can be elicited by potassium-evoked depolarization and is not the simple reversal of the uptake system. 2-Amino-4-phosphonobutyrate (APB) inhibits depolarization-induced secretion of excitatory amino acids but has no effect on excitatory amino acid uptake, suggesting that the APB binding protein in the brain represents a component involved in the secretion of excitatory amino acids.