Glucagon, epinephrine and cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) prevented the induction of liver glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) by refeeding a glucose-casein mixture to starved rats. The prevention by these agents occurred without any change in the amount of diet consumed. When the injection of cyclic AMP and the refeeding of glucose-casein diet were initiated simultaneously, there was an inhibiton of G6PD induction depending upon the dose and frequency of cyclic AMP administration during the period of refeeding, while when cyclic AMP was given later than 12 h of the refeeding, the lag period for induction of this enzyme, there was no preventive effect. A glucose prefeeding was also found to counteract the inhibitory effect of cyclic AMP on G6PD induction by the subsequent glucose-casein refeeding. The present data together with the elimination of actinomycin D effect by the glucose prefeeding suggest that the inhibitory effect of cyclic AMP on the induction of G6PD dehydrogenase is exerted at the level of transcription.