The hypothalamic peptides hypocretin-1 (orexin A) and -2 (orexin B) promote wakefulness by mechanisms that are not well understood. Defects in hypocretinergic neurotransmission underlie the human sleep disorder narcolepsy. Hypocretins alter cell excitability via two receptor subtypes, hypocretin receptor subtype 1 (hcrt-r1) and hypocretin receptor subtype 2 (hcrt-r2). This study aimed to identify G protein subtypes activated by hypocretin in rat pontine reticular nucleus oral part (PnO) and the hypocretin receptor subtype modulating acetylcholine (ACh) release in the PnO. G protein activation was quantified using in vitro [(35)S]guanylyl-5'-O-(gamma-thio)triphosphate autoradiography. ACh release was measured using in vivo microdialysis and high-performance liquid chromatography. Hypocretin-1-stimulated G protein activation was significantly decreased by pertussis toxin, demonstrating that some hypocretin receptors in rat PnO activate inhibitory G proteins. Hypocretin-1-stimulated ACh release was not blocked by pertussis toxin, supporting the conclusion that the hypocretin receptors modulating ACh release in rat PnO activate stimulatory G proteins. Hypocretin-1 and -2 each caused a concentration-dependent increase in ACh release with similar potencies, indicating that hcrt-r2 modulates ACh release in PnO. Hypocretin-1 caused a significantly greater increase in ACh release than hypocretin-2, suggesting a role for hcrt-r1 in the modulation of PnO ACh release. Taken together, these data provide the first evidence that hypocretin receptors in rat PnO signal via inhibitory and stimulatory G proteins and that ACh release in rat PnO is modulated by hcrt-r2 and hcrt-r1. One mechanism by which hypocretin promotes arousal may be to increase ACh release in the pontine reticular formation.