The relationships between cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels and glycerol release (lipolysis) were determined for isoproterenol and forskolin under varied conditions in the isolated fat cell of the rat. Prevention of the inhibitory action of endogenous adenosine [by adenosine deaminase (100 mU/ml) or theophylline (3.3 X 10(-4) M)] resulted in increased levels of cAMP and increased rates of lipolysis with forskolin. However, the relationship between cAMP levels and rates of lipolysis remained the same under all conditions. N6-phenylisopropyladenosine (PIA; an analog of adenosine) abolished the increase in cAMP level produced by isoproterenol (10(-7) M) or forskolin (10(-6) M) and the lipolytic response to forskolin. However, PIA failed to inhibit completely the lipolytic response to isoproterenol. Dose-response curves to isoproterenol were determined in the presence and absence of adenosine deaminase. PIA (10(-6) M) inhibited the increase in cAMP levels under both conditions. PIA also inhibited the lipolytic responses that were associated with increases in cAMP levels, i.e., high concentrations of isoproterenol alone and isoproterenol with adenosine deaminase. A plot of cAMP levels against corresponding rates of lipolysis for all conditions agreed with previous observations that the relationship for isoproterenol differs from that for forskolin. At any concentration of cAMP the corresponding lipolytic response was greater for isoproterenol than for forskolin. The possibility of a cAMP-independent lipolytic response was discussed.