Inositol trisphosphate (IP3) is a major Ca 2+ -mobilising second messenger and atrial IP3 receptor (IP3R) expression is greatly increased in atrial fibrillation (AF). Cardiac atrial and sino-atrial node myocytes also express Ca 2+ -stimulated adenylyl cyclases (AC1 and AC8); however the physiological pathways underlying AC1 and AC8 activation are not known. We investigated whether IP3 signalling in cardiac atria and sino-atrial node utilises ACs.Immunocytochemistry in isolated guinea pig atrial myocytes showed type 2 IP3Rs colocalised with AC8, while AC1 was located in close vicinity. UV photorelease of IP3 significantly enhanced Ca 2+ transient amplitudes following stimulation of atrial myocytes (31 ± 6 % increase 60 s post photorelease, n=16), an effect abolished by 3 µmol/L MDL-12,330 (MDL), to inhibit ACs, or 1 µmol/L H89, to inhibit PKA. The maximum rate change observed in spontaneously-beating murine right atrial preparations exposed to phenylephrine (14.7 ± 0.5 %, n=10) was significantly reduced by 2.5 µmol/L 2-APB (to 4.7 ± 0.2 %, n=7, P<0.05 compared to control) and abolished by a low dose of MDL (1 µmol/L, n=5). These observations are consistent with a functional interaction between IP3 and cAMP signalling involving Ca 2+ stimulation of ACs in cardiac atria and sino-atrial node. Structural evidence supports AC8 as the most likely effector. This signal transduction mechanism is important for future study in atrial physiology and pathophysiology, particularly AF.