Airway goblet cell mucin secretion is controlled by agonist activation of P2Y₂ purinoceptors, acting through Gq/PLC, IP₃ and diacylglycerol, Ca²⁺ and PKC. Previously, we showed that SPOC1 cells express cPKC, nPKC, nPKC, and nPKC; of these, only nPKC translocated to the membrane in correlation with mucin secretion (Am J Physiol, 285:L149-L160, 2003). We have verified these results and pursued the identity of the PKC effector isoform by testing the effects of altered PKC expression on regulated mucin release using SPOC1 cell and mouse models. SPOC1 cells overexpressing cPKC, nPKC, and nPKC had the same levels of ATPS and PMA stimulated mucin secretion as empty retroviral vector expressing cells. Secretagogue-induced mucin secretion was elevated only in cells overexpressing nPKC (14.6 and 23.5%, for ATPS and PMA). Similarly, only SPOC1 cells infected with a kinase-deficient nPKC exhibited the expected diminution of stimulated mucin secretion, relative to WT isoform overexpression. ATPS-stimulated mucin secretion from isolated, perfused mouse tracheas was diminished in P2Y2-R null mice by 82% relative to WT mice, demonstrating the utility of mouse models in studies of regulated mucin secretion. Littermate WT and nPKC KO mice had nearly identical levels of stimulated mucin secretion, whereas mucin release was nearly abolished in nPKC KO mice relative to its WT littermates. We conclude that nPKC is the effector isoform downstream of P2Y2-R activation in the goblet cell secretory response. The translocation of nPKC observed in activated cells is likely not related to mucin secretion but to some other aspect of goblet cell biology.