The cyclic AMP (cAMP)-induced inhibitory effect on cell proliferation was examined through inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) activation in cultured rat cortical astrocytes. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) at 10 ng/ml maximally stimulated MAP kinase activity, which peaks during 10 min and prolonged for 24 h. Likewise, DNA synthesis was maximally potentiated with 10 ng/ml bFGF and correlated with MAP kinase activity in a dose-dependent manner. Dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP) at 1 mM and isoproterenol at 10 microM inhibited MAP kinase activation and DNA synthesis potentiation with bFGF and platelet-derived growth factor to the control level in cultured astrocytes and C6 glioma cells. The stimulation with bFGF caused a prominent translocation of MAP kinase from the cytosol to the nucleus after 1 h in astrocytes. Treatment of the cells with dbcAMP and isoproterenol completely prevented the translocation of MAP kinase. In experiments with 32P-labeled cultured astrocytes, phosphorylation of Raf-1 was apparently stimulated with bFGF. Treatment with dbcAMP or isoproterenol had a greatly inhibitory effect on the stimulation of Raf-1 phosphorylation with bFGF. Consistent with the effect on Raf-1 phosphorylation, dbcAMP and isoproterenol completely prevented bFGF-induced phosphorylation of MAP kinase kinases, target proteins of Raf-1. Our observations suggest that cAMP-induced suppression of cell growth in astrocytes is due to the inhibitory effect on activation of MAP kinase and its translocation to the nucleus and that the site of the cAMP action is located at Raf-1 or the upstream site of Raf-1.