Because previous studies have demonstrated that renal inorganic phosphate reabsorption is enhanced in rats after dietary phosphorus deprivation, we studied the effects of parathyroid hormone (PTH) upon inorganic phosphate reabsorption in acutely thyroparathyroidectomized rats stabilized on a low phosphorus diet to determine if the phosphaturic response to PTH is impaired during phosphorous depletion. Acutely thyroparathyroidectomized phosphorus-deprived rats responded only minimally to PTH, whereas similarly prepared animals stabilized on a high phosphorus diet exhibited a large phosphaturic response. Base-line urinary cyclic AMP values and PTH-induced increases in cyclic AMP excretion were similar in both groups. In other experiments, dibutyryl cyclic AMP elicited a greatly diminished phosphaturic response in phosphorus-deprived rats, as compared to their high phosphorus counterparts. These results indicate that the renal phosphaturic responses to PTH and cyclic AMP are impaired during dietary phosphorus deprivation. The impaired phosphaturia would contribute to phosphorus conservation and to the replenishment of inorganic phosphate stores after phosphorus depletion.