In airway smooth muscle cells (SMCs) from mouse lung slices, > or =10 microM ATP induced Ca2+ oscillations that were accompanied by airway contraction. After approximately 1 min, the Ca2+ oscillations subsided and the airway relaxed. By contrast, > or =0.5 microM adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (nonhydrolyzable) induced Ca2+ oscillations in the SMCs and an associated airway contraction that persisted for >2 min. Adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate)-induced Ca2+ oscillations occurred in the absence of external Ca2+ but were abolished by the phospholipase C inhibitor U-73122 and the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor inhibitor xestospongin. Adenosine, AMP, and alpha,beta-methylene ATP had no effect on airway caliber, and the magnitude of the contractile response induced by a variety of nucleotides could be ranked in the following order: ATP = UTP > ADP. These results suggest that the SMC response to ATP is impaired by ATP hydrolysis and mediated via P2Y(2) or P2Y(4) receptors, activating phospholipase C to release Ca2+ via the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor. We conclude that ATP can serve as a spasmogen of airway SMCs and that Ca2+ oscillations in SMCs are required to sustain airway contraction.