The formation of the second messenger cyclic AMP (cAMP) is known to be coupled to its receptor via a guanine nucleotide regulatory protein, GS. Ca2+-mobilizing receptors stimulate the hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P2), which generates two intracellular signals Ins(1,4,5)P3 and diacylglycerol. We review the evidence that this signalling system is also composed of three types of proteins: receptor, G-protein and effector. The G-protein that couples to the effector, polyphosphoinositide phosphodiesterase (PPI-PDE), is a novel G-protein, GP, which is a substrate for pertussis toxin in some cells (e.g. neutrophils and platelets) but not others (e.g. pancreatic acinar cells and GH3 cells). This implies that GP is not a single G-protein but encompasses a family of proteins that can activate PPI-PDE. We have also identified a role for another G-protein, GE, which is involved in the secretory process in mast cells and neutrophils. In this case, neither the receptor nor effector has been identified and the main evidence for proposing this second G-protein is based on the ability of guanine nucleotide analogues (e.g. GTP gamma S) to stimulate secretion independently of PPI-PDE activation.