Regulation of adenylyl cyclases (ACs) byA rise in [Ca 2ϩ ] i 1 leads to an inhibition of cAMP accumulation in a variety of cell types (1-8). In some cases, the inhibition of cAMP accumulation is exerted on Ca 2ϩ -inhibitable adenylyl cyclases (ACs) (1-3, 5-7), whereas in others the effect may be mediated by Ca 2ϩ -calmodulin-dependent phosphodiesterases (PDE1) (4, 8). ACs are extremely discriminating in terms of the source of the Ca 2ϩ to which they respond (9). In non-excitable cells, Ca 2ϩ -sensitive ACs respond only to CCE (9), whereas other modes of elevating [Ca 2ϩ ] i , including release from intracellular stores (6, 7, 10) and ionophore-(6, 7, 10) or arachidonic acid-mediated Ca 2ϩ entry (11), are ineffective. This dependence, along with other evidence, suggests that Ca 2ϩ -sensitive ACs and CCE channels must be functionally co-localized and that cellular strategies are in place to ensure their association (12, 13). By contrast, although type I PDEs (PDE1) are known to be markedly stimulated by Ca 2ϩ acting via calmodulin in vitro, little if anything is known about the mode of [Ca 2ϩ ] i rise to which they will respond in the intact cell.In the human astrocytoma cell line 1321N1, the activation of receptors that stimulate the formation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP 3 ) substantially inhibits cAMP accumulation (8,14,15). Complete reversal of the inhibition by PDE1-specific inhibitors is consonant with the agonist-evoked rise in [Ca 2ϩ ] i -activating PDE1 and hence increasing the rate of cAMP hydrolysis (16). Indeed, these early studies established that PDE1 activity is markedly increased when Ca 2ϩ is introduced into the extracellular medium (14, 15). Therefore, PDE1 does seem to be regulated by [Ca 2ϩ ] i , but the source of the Ca 2ϩ to which PDE1 responds and whether PDE1 is as discriminating as Ca 2ϩ -sensitive ACs has never been addressed. In the present study, we first characterized the various modes by which [Ca 2ϩ ] i could be elevated in 1321N1 cells. We then established a variety of conditions to manipulate [Ca 2ϩ ] i so that we could ask whether PDE1 discriminates between Ca 2ϩ signaling pathways, viz. Ca 2ϩ released from intracellular stores, and the different modes of Ca 2ϩ entry. We also established by RT-PCR that PDE1A was the only PDE1 isoform expressed in these cells. Furthermore, we compared the effect of Ca 2ϩ entry following stimulation with the muscarinic agonist carbachol (CCh) or non-selective entry mediated by the ionophore, ionomycin, and the triggering of CCE by the sarco-(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca 2ϩ -ATPase inhibitor, thapsigargin, on isoproterenol-evoked cAMP accumulation. Our findings establish that Ca 2ϩ entry is the major stimulus for PDE1A in 1321N1 cells, but unlike Ca 2ϩ -sensitive ACs, PDE1A does not discriminate between different modes of Ca 2ϩ entry. We wondered whether the lack of selectivity for the source of Ca 2ϩ entry was related to the subcellular distribution of PDE1A. Following fractionation of the cells, we found that Ca 2ϩ -calmodulin-s...