The elevation of [cAMP] i is an important mechanism of platelet inhibition and is regulated by the opposing activity of adenylyl cyclase and phosphodiesterase (PDE). In this study, we demonstrate that a variety of platelet agonists, including thrombin, significantly enhance the activity of PDE3A in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. Upon vascular injury, platelets adhere to the newly exposed subintimal collagen and undergo activation leading to platelet spreading to cover the damaged region and release of thrombogenic factors such as ADP and thromboxane A 2 . In addition, platelets are activated by thrombin, which is generated as a result of activation of the coagulation pathway, and stimulates platelets by cleaving the protease-activated receptors (PAR), 2 PAR-1 and PAR-4. The final common pathway is the exposure of fibrinogen binding sites on integrin ␣ IIb  3 resulting in platelet aggregation and thrombus formation.Thrombin-mediated cleavage of PARs leads to activation of phospholipase C  (PLC), hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol (PI) 4,5-bisphosphate and a subsequent increase in [Ca 2ϩ ] i and activation of protein kinase C (PKC). Protein kinase C contributes to platelet activation both directly, through affinity regulation of the fibrinogen receptor, integrin ␣ IIb  3 (1), and indirectly by enhancing degranulation (2). Thrombin also stimulates activation of PI 3-kinases and subsequent generation of PI (3, 4, 5) trisphosphate and PI (3, 4) bisphosphate (3), which recruit protein kinase B (PKB) to the plasma membrane where it becomes phosphorylated and activated.Platelet activation is opposed by agents that raise intracellular 3Ј-5Ј-cyclic adenosine monophosphate ([cAMP] i ). cAMP is a powerful inhibitory second messenger that down-regulates platelet function by interfering with Ca 2ϩ homeostasis, degranulation and integrin activation (4). Synthesis of cAMP is stimulated by mediators such as prostaglandin I 2 (PGI 2 ), which bind to G s -coupled receptors leading to activation of adenylate cyclase (AC). This inhibitory pathway is opposed by thrombin, which inhibits the elevation of cAMP indirectly via autocrine activation of the G i -coupled ADP receptor P2Y 12 . cAMP signaling is terminated by hydrolysis to biologically inert 5Ј-AMP by 3Ј-phosphodiesterases. Platelets express two cAMP phosphodiesterase isoforms, cGMP-stimulated PDE2 and cGMP-inhibited PDE3A. PDE3A is the most abundant isoform in platelets and has a ϳ250-fold lower K m for cAMP than PDE2 (4). As a consequence of these properties, PDE3A exerts a greater influence on cAMP homeostasis, particularly at resting levels. The importance of PDE3A in platelet function is further emphasized by the finding that the PDE3A inhibitors cilostamide and milrinone raise basal cAMP levels and strongly inhibit thrombin-induced platelet activation (5). Furthermore, PDE3A