1. In rat liver cells micromolar concentrations of adenosine 5'-[beta-thio]diphosphate (ADP beta S), activate glycogen phosphorylase by an adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic AMP)- independent mechanism. 2. As with adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP), ADP beta S also inhibits the rise in cyclic AMP after glucagon. 3. Cytosolic Ca2+ measured in single cells is rapidly increased with a pattern similar for ADP beta S and for ATP. 4. At variance with ATP, ADP beta S hardly increases inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) levels. 5. Phorbol myristic acetate, which inhibits only slightly the glycogenolytic effect of ATP, almost completely abolishes this effect of ADP beta S. 6. With adenosine 5'-[beta-[35S]thio]diphosphate (ADP beta[35S]) as radioligand, we detected specific purinoceptors on rat liver plasma membranes. Binding consists of a major binding component with KD = 0.7 microM and Bmax = 51 pmol mg-1 of protein, probably mediating the activation of glycogen phosphorylase, and a minor high affinity, low capacity binding component with no obvious function. 7. It is concluded that the differences in biological effects between ATP and ADP beta S may involve different receptors and/or different transduction mechanisms and that ADP beta[35S] can be used to detect the specific binding sites for ADP beta S.