Recently the cDNA for two different forms of TNF receptor, with gene products of molecular masses of 60 and 80 kDa, have been cloned. In the present report, we investigated the effects of phorbol ester and dibutyryl cAMP on the regulation of the transcript for each type of TNF receptor in U-937 cells. Our results indicate that exposure of these cells to either phorbol ester or dibutyryl cAMP increases the steady state mRNA levels of the 80 kDa form. This effect is dose- and time-dependent. The induction of the p80 receptor transcript by PMA and dibutyryl cAMP was additive suggesting independent mechanisms of induction. Under identical conditions, both agents failed to induce the transcript for the p60 form of the TNF receptor. As demonstrated by actinomycin D pulse-chase experiment, the mRNA for the p80 receptor was found to be highly stable with an approximate half-life of 16 h. No significant change in the half-life was observed when cells were treated with phorbol ester. The mechanisms by which phorbol ester and dibutyryl cAMP induce the upregulation of p80 receptor mRNA appear to be different. Induction of receptor transcript by cycloheximide suggests the presence of a labile repressor protein. Interestingly, the effect of cycloheximide on the induction of the p80 mRNA was found to be additive with that of dibutyryl cAMP but not with phorbol ester. 1-(5-Isoquinolinylsufonyl)-2-methylpiperazine (H7) and N[2-(methylamino) ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide (H-8), inhibitors of protein kinase C and protein kinase A, respectively, both inhibited the phorbol ester-mediated induction of the p80-transcript but not that mediated through dibutyryl cAMP. Since dibutyryl cAMP undergoes intracellular dissociation into cAMP and butyric acid, we found that exposure of cells to sodium butyrate alone could induce p80 mRNA in a dose-dependent manner, thus suggesting the role of histone hyperacetylation. Furthermore forskolin treatment, an intracellular inducer of cAMP, increased the receptor transcript level whereas isobutylmethylxanthine, an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase, had no effect. Interestingly, while the p80 form of the TNF receptor mRNA levels was elevated by both phorbol ester and dibutyryl cAMP, only dibutyryl cAMP increased the TNF binding; phorbol ester treatment decreased the binding activity. Thus, our results demonstrate that the genes for the two forms of TNF receptors are differentially regulated. Furthermore, the mechanism of regulation by PMA differs from that by dibutyryl cAMP.