Adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) is released from the cytoplasm under physiologic and pathophysiologic conditions and enters the extracellular space, where it acts on a group of recently cloned cell-surface receptors termed P2-purinoceptors (subtypes P2X and P2Y). We examined the effects of extracellular ATP, uridine triphosphate (UTP), the stable ATP analogues alpha,betamethylene-ATP (alpha,betamATP), beta,gammamethylene-ATP (beta,gammamATP), and 2-methylthio-ATP (2mSATP), and adenosine (10(-6)-10(-3) M) on histamine release from human lung mast cells (HLMC) induced by anti-IgE and the calcium ionophore A23187. None of the nucleotides or adenosine directly induced histamine release. Adenosine exhibited a bimodal effect, enhancing histamine release at 10(-6) to 10(-4) M (P > 0.05, NS) and inhibiting it at 10(-3) M (P < 0.05). ATP (10(-4) M) enhanced anti-IgE-induced histamine release (10.9 +/- 2.7% to 19. 2 +/- 2.9%, n = 20, P < 0.01), but not ionophore A23187-induced histamine release (n = 10). The adenine nucleotides consistently enhanced anti-IgE-induced histamine release; the rank order for this action was: ATP > 2mSATP > alpha,betamATP > beta,gammamATP, suggesting mediation by a P2Y-purinoceptor subtype. The selective P2X purinoceptor antagonist pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-2', 4'-disulfonic acid failed to influence the effect of ATP, further supporting P2Y-purinoceptor mediation of anti-IgE-induced histamine release. UTP, an agonist at P2Y-purinoceptors, also significantly enhanced anti-IgE-induced histamine release. Application of the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction indicated that HLMC constitutively express the messenger RNAs encoding the P2Y1- and P2Y2-purinoceptor subtypes, and not that encoding the P2X7-purinoceptor (i.e., P2Z), a subtype implicated in ATP-induced histamine release in rodent peritoneal mast cells. The data produced in the study suggest that ATP plays an important modulatory role in histamine release from HLMC, and that it may therefore be mechanistically involved in human allergic/asthmatic reactions.