1. Voltage-activated currents through calcium channels in primary cultures of murine dorsal root ganglion cells (DRG) were studied with the whole-cell and cell-attached patch recording techniques. 2. The chemical phosphatase 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM) reversibly reduced the amplitude of L-type calcium current (ICa) in a dose-dependent manner; at a concentration of 20 mM, BDM caused a 47% suppression of ICa. 3. Application of 10 mM-8-bromo-cyclic AMP or 50 microM-isoprenaline onto DRG treated with BDM completely restored ICa to the pre-BDM level. 4. In striking contrast, bath application of Bay K 8644 (0.5-5 microM) had no effect on the BDM-suppressed ICa. As expected, Bay K 8644 alone caused a two- to threefold increase of the maximal ICa and shifted its I-V relationship to the left. Interestingly, if a cell was first exposed to Bay K 8644 further treatment with 20 mM-BDM resulted in 100% suppression of ICa. This suggests that Bay K 8644 changes the conformation of the calcium channel to one which is more sensitive or more accessible to the action of the phosphatase. 5. Pre-treatment of DRG with an activator of protein kinase C, 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate, did not antagonize BDM's effect on ICa. 6. The depressant action of BDM on ICa was distinct from that of nifedipine in that it did not exhibit use dependence. 7. When single calcium channel currents were recorded in cell-attached patches (barium as the charge carrier), bath application of BDM reduced the percentage of time that the channel spent in the open state. 8. Superfusion with 8-bromo-cyclic AMP restored the ensemble macroscopic 'ICa' to the pre-BDM amplitude. This was due to a dramatic enhancement of the frequency of channel openings. 9. We suggest that BDM acts through the cytoplasm to alter cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase modulation of neuronal L-type calcium channels. The brief, high-frequency openings which 8-bromo-cyclic AMP activates in the presence of BDM may reflect a rapid phosphorylation-dephosphorylation sequence which controls channel gating.