The mechanisms underlying mucus-associated pathologies in cystic fibrosis (CF) remain obscure. However, recent studies indicate that CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is required for bicarbonate (HCO 3 -) transport and that HCO 3 -is critical for normal mucus formation. We therefore investigated the role of HCO 3 -in mucus secretion using mouse small intestine segments ex vivo. Basal rates of mucus release in the presence or absence of HCO 3 -were similar. However, in the absence of HCO 3 -, mucus release stimulated by either PGE 2 or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) was approximately half that stimulated by these molecules in the presence of HCO 3 -. Inhibition of HCO 3 -and fluid transport markedly reduced stimulated mucus release. However, neither absence of HCO 3 -nor inhibition of HCO 3 -transport affected fluid secretion rates, indicating that the effect of HCO 3 -removal on mucus release was not due to decreased fluid secretion. In a mouse model of CF (mice homozygous for the most common human CFTR mutation), intestinal mucus release was minimal when stimulated with either PGE 2 or 5-HT in the presence or absence of HCO 3 -. These data suggest that normal mucus release requires concurrent HCO 3 -secretion and that the characteristically aggregated mucus observed in mucin-secreting organs in individuals with CF may be a consequence of defective HCO 3 -transport.