Activation of the sympathetic nervous system inhibits insulin secretion. We tested the hypothesis that activation of alpha 2-adrenergic receptors on the beta-cell by epinephrine or clonidine attenuates insulin release by an effect on the voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel (VDCC) and examined the role of G-proteins in this signal transduction pathway. Using a cultured SV40-transformed hamster beta-cell line (HIT cells) as a model system, we determined the effect of alpha 2-adrenergic agonists on insulin secretion, 86Rb+ efflux (a marker for K+ channel flux), and the free cytosolic Ca2+ level [( Ca2+]i) monitored in fura-2-loaded cells. In a dose-dependent manner, epinephrine and clonidine (10(-8)-10(-5)M) attenuated the increase in [Ca2+]i and insulin secretion induced by either K+ depolarization or stimulation of the VDCC with the agonist Bay K 8644. Epinephrine failed to affect the rise in [Ca2+]i induced by carbamylcholine, an agent that mobilizes intracellular Ca2+. Epinephrine also did not changes 86Rb+ efflux from HIT cells. The inhibitory effects of epinephrine were prevented by the alpha 2-adrenergic antagonist idazoxan, but were unaffected by the alpha 1-adrenergic antagonist phenoxybenzamine. Pretreatment of HIT cells with pertussis toxin (0.1 micrograms/ml) overnight abolished the inhibitory effects of epinephrine and clonidine on both [Ca2+]i and insulin secretion. These data suggest that one mechanism by which alpha 2-adrenergic agonists inhibit insulin secretion is by inhibiting Ca2+ influx through VDCC, an action that is mediated through a pertussis toxin-sensitive G-protein.