Two human lymphoblastic cell lines, deficient in methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) activity, were found to have increased rates of de novo purine synthesis. These MTAP- cell lines were K562, an undifferentiated leukemic line and CCRF-CEM, a leukemic line of T-cell origin. Another T-cell line, CCRF-HSB-2 was found to be deficient in activity. However, this line did not demonstrate elevated rates of purine synthesis. Purine metabolism in the above cell cultures was compared with MTAP+ human B-cell lines and two human T-cell lines (MOLT-3 and MOLT-4). In all the MTAP+ cell lines, the rate of de novo purine synthesis was inhibited by the presence of methylthioadenosine in the assay medium (10 microM concentration produced more than 90% inhibition). However, purine synthesis in the MTAP- cells was resistant to inhibition by methylthioadenosine. Adenine in the assay medium inhibited de novo purine synthesis in MTAP+ and MTAP- cells to a similar degree. This inhibition was dose dependent and was elicited by concentrations similar to those of methylthioadenosine. Growth of the cell lines in culture was not affected by either methylthioadenosine or adenine at the concentrations which produced inhibition of purine synthesis. These results suggest that purine synthesis in MTAP+ cells is inhibited by adenine formed from the phosphorolytic cleavage of methylthioadenosine by methylthioadenosine phosphorylase.