Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) activation is necessary for insulin-responsive glucose transporter (GLUT4) translocation and glucose transport. Insulin and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) stimulate PI3K activity in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, but only insulin is capable of stimulating GLUT4 translocation and glucose transport. We found that PDGF causes serine/threonine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) in 3T3-L1 cells, measured by altered mobility on SDS-polyacrylamide gel, and this leads to a decrease in insulin-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1. The PI3K inhibitors wortmannin and LY294002 inhibit the PDGF-induced phosphorylation of IRS-1, whereas the MEK inhibitor PD98059 was without a major effect. PDGF pretreatment for 60-90 min led to a marked 80-90% reduction in insulin stimulatable phosphotyrosine and IRS-1-associated PI3K activity. We examined the functional consequences of this decrease in IRS-1-associated PI3K activity. Interestingly, insulin stimulation of GLUT4 translocation and glucose transport was unaffected by 60-90 min of PDGF preincubation. Furthermore, insulin activation of Akt and p70(s6kinase), kinases downstream of PI3K, was unaffected by PDGF pretreatment. Wortmannin was capable of blocking these insulin actions following PDGF pretreatment, suggesting that PI3K was still necessary for these effects. In conclusion, 1) PDGF causes serine/threonine phosphorylation of IRS-1, and PI3K, or a kinase downstream of PI3K, mediates this phosphorylation. 2) This PDGF-induced phosphorylation of IRS-1 leads to a significant decrease in insulin-stimulated PI3K activity. 3) PDGF has no effect on insulin stimulation of Akt, p70(s6kinase), GLUT4 translocation, or glucose transport. 4) This suggests the existence of an IRS-1-independent pathway leading to the activation of PI3K, Akt, and p70(s6kinase); GLUT4 translocation; and glucose transport.