The rates of de novo purine and protein synthesis were assessed in vivo in rat liver after bolus administration of glucagon. The specific activity of hepatic purines and the specific activity ratio of hepatic purine/protein were used as an index of the rate of de novo purine synthesis and the rate relative to protein. Glucagon at doses of 0.01 mg to 0.1 mg/200 g body weight (BW), administered as an intravenous bolus, inhibited dose-dependently the rate of de novo purine synthesis and the rate relative to protein although it increased dose-dependently the hepatic concentration of 5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate (PRPP). The inhibition of the rate of de novo purine synthesis recovered to control levels during the period between 60 and 90 minutes after glucagon administration. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP (Bt2 cAMP) partially mimicked this effect of glucagon in that it did not increase the rate of de novo purine synthesis in spite of increased concentrations of PRPP. These results suggest that an intravenous bolus of glucagon inhibits the rate of de novo purine synthesis through increasing cAMP concentration. The data are consistent with inhibition of amidophosphoribosyltransferase (ATase) in spite of increased PRPP concentrations.