The aim of this work was to investigate the role of cytosolic calcium and calmodulin-dependent systems in the activation of glucose uptake in the human megakaryocytic cell line M07e. Glucose uptake was significantly raised by elevation of cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](c)) with thapsigargin, this effect being additive to the activation induced by cytokines (SCF, GM-CSF and TPO) and hydrogen peroxide. Intracellular Ca(2+) chelation by BAPTA decreased basal and activated glucose uptake in a dose-dependent manner. BAPTA reduced the GLUT1 translocation induced by SCF and H(2)O(2), suggesting a major role for Ca(2+) in GLUT1 intracellular trafficking. In the absence of extracellular Ca(2+), 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl-borate (2-APB) abolished the activation of glucose uptake induced by cytokines and H(2)O(2) suggesting an involvement in GLUT1 regulation in responses related to InsP(3)-induced Ca(2+) release. Under our experimental conditions, all the stimuli inducing glucose uptake activation failed to increase [Ca(2+)](c) suggesting that cytosolic Ca(2+) plays a permissive role in the regulation of GLUT1. The calmodulin antagonist W-7 and the inhibitor of Ca(2+)-calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CAMK II) KN-62 removed the glucose transport activation by all the tested stimuli. These results suggest that in M07e cells calmodulin and CAMKII are involved in GLUT1 stimulation by cytokines and ROS.