The ability of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) to phosphorylate type I, II, and III inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP 3 ) receptors was examined. The receptors either were immunopurified from cell lines and then phosphorylated with purified PKA or were phosphorylated in intact cells after activating intracellular cAMP formation. The former studies showed that the type I receptor was a good substrate for PKA (0.65 mol P i incorporated/mol receptor), whereas type II and III receptors were phosphorylated relatively weakly. The latter studies showed that despite these differences, each of the receptors was phosphorylated in intact cells in response to forskolin or activation of neurohormone receptors. Detailed examination of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, which express >99% type I receptor, revealed that minor increases in cAMP concentration were sufficient to cause maximal phosphorylation. Thus, VIP and pituitary adenylyl cyclase activating peptide (acting through G s -coupled pituitary adenylyl cyclase activating peptide-I receptors) were potent stimuli of type I receptor phosphorylation, and remarkably, even slight increases in cAMP concentration induced by carbachol (acting through G q -coupled muscarinic receptors) or other Ca 2؉ mobilizing agents were sufficient to cause phosphorylation. Finally, PKA enhanced InsP 3 -induced Ca 2؉ mobilization in a range of permeabilized cell types, irrespective of whether the type I, II, or III receptor was predominant. In summary, these data show that all InsP 3 receptors are phosphorylated by PKA, albeit with marked differences in stoichiometry. The ability of both G s -and G q -coupled cell surface receptors to effect InsP 3 receptor phosphorylation by PKA suggests that this process is widespread in mammalian cells and provides multiple routes by which the cAMP signaling pathway can influence Ca 2؉ mobilization.Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP 3 ) 1 receptors form tetrameric channels in endoplasmic reticulum membranes that conduct Ca 2ϩ in an InsP 3 -sensitive manner (1-3). Thus, they link cell surface receptor-mediated increases in InsP 3 formation to increases in cytoplasmic free Ca 2ϩ concentration ([Ca 2ϩ ] i ). To date, the coding regions of three mammalian InsP 3 receptor genes have been sequenced (4 -11). Their products, termed type I, II, and III receptors, are ϳ2700 amino acids in length and are 60 -70% identical at the amino acid level (2-11). Each receptor is thought to have the same overall structure, being divided into three domains: an N-terminal ligand binding domain, a C-terminal channel forming domain, and an intervening sequence, termed the coupling domain, that contains sites either known or hypothesized to be involved in receptor regulation (2-4, 6, 12). Type I, II, and III receptors are expressed in different amounts in different cell types, and some cells co-express all three receptors (13,14). InsP 3 receptors form heterotetramers in intact cells, and such associations persist after receptor solubilization (14 -17).Characterization of diffe...