The biological effects of catecholamines in mammalian pigment cells are poorly understood, but in poikilothermic vertebrates they regulate the translocation of pigment granules. We have previously demonstrated in SK-Mel 23-human melanoma cells the presence of low affinity 1 -adrenoceptors, which mediate a decrease in cell proliferation and increase in tyrosinase activity, with no change of tyrosinase expression. In this report, we investigated the signalling pathways involved in these responses. Calcium mobilization in response to phenylephrine (PHE), an 1 -adrenergic agonist, was investigated by confocal microscopy, and no change of fluorescence during the treatment was observed, suggesting that calcium is not involved in the signalling pathway activated by 1 -adrenoceptors in SK-Mel 23 cells. cAMP levels, determined by enzyme-immunoassay, were significantly increased by PHE (10 À5 -10 À4 M), that could be blocked by the 1 -adrenergic antagonist benoxathian (10 À5 -10 À4 M). Several biological assays were then performed with PHE, for 72 h, in the absence or presence of various signalling pathway inhibitors, in an attempt to determine the intracellular messengers involved in the responses of proliferation and tyrosinase activity. Our results suggest the participation of p38 and ERKs in PHE-induced decrease of proliferation, and possibly also of cAMP and protein kinase A. Regarding PHE-induced increase of tyrosinase activity, it is suggested that the following signalling components are involved: cAMP/PKA, PKC, PI3K, p38 and ERKs.