The basement membrane of skeletal muscle is produced by the muscle cells it ensheathes and by nonmuscle cells located in the surrounding extracellular matrix. In this study, we have shown that platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) stimulates secretion of three basement membrane components of skeletal muscle: laminin (70% increase), fibronectin (30%), and type IV collagen (70%). Furthermore, we have found using the signal transduction inhibitors, genistein (tyrosine kinase inhibitor), phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor), thapsigargin (depletes intracellular Ca2+ stores), and H89 (protein kinase A inhibitor), that PDGF-stimulated secretion of these proteins occurs through distinct signaling pathways. Densitometry of Western blots of L6 myoblast supernatant indicates that the PDGF-induced increase in secretion of laminin and type IV collagen is tyrosine kinase-dependent. The increase in type IV collagen secretion also shows dependence on PKC, as well as the release of intracellular Ca2+. Inhibition of either of these pathways reduces the increase in type IV collagen secretion to 20%. In contrast, the PDGF-induced increase in laminin secretion is unaffected by inhibition of either PKC or intracellular Ca2+ release. The increase in fibronectin secretion by PDGF uses yet a third set of signals. PDGF-induced fibronectin secretion is not dependent on tyrosine kinase activity but is dependent on protein kinase A as well as the release of intracellular Ca2+. These divergent signaling pathways provide for independent regulation of basement membrane protein secretion, allowing a muscle cell to modify both the quantity and composition of its basement membrane in response to its environment.