Recent studies from several laboratories have documented the presence of fragments of parathyroid hormone in blood or peripheral tissues or in both. Inasmuch as amino-terminal fragments are known to be biologically active, it has been suggested that fragments, rather than the intact polypeptide of 84 amino acids, might be the active molecular species in tissue fluids. Accordingly, the metabolism of native bovine parathyroid hormone, bPTH-(1-84), was studied in purified renal cortical membranes from several species and correlated with hormonal stimulation of adenylyl cyclase in these membranes in vitro. Analysis of whole incubation mixtures or membrane-bound hormone by gel electrophoresis and gel chromatography after incubation of [3H]bPTH-(1-84) or 125-I-labeled bPTH-(1-84) or unlabeled biologically active bPTH-(1-84) with purified canine renal cortical membranes revealed no evidence of proteolysis, and yet the uncleaved hormone readily stimulated adenylyl cyclase. Kinetic studies of hormone-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity revealed no difference in rate of onset of activity between bPTH-(1-84) And the active synthetic amino-terminal tetratriacontapeptide bPTH-(1-34), and hence there was no evidence of precursor-product relationship between the native hormone and an active amino-terminal fragment. The results suggest, insofar as the activity detected in these membranes reflects the biological response of the hormone in vivo, that the native hormone is indeed biologically active at the receptor level directly without the requirement for cleavage into active fragments.