Measurements were made of the activity of phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate amidotransferase (PPRibP-At, EC 2.4.2.14) and of adenine (APRT, EC 2.4.2.7) and hypoxanthine (HPRT, EC 2.4.2.8) phosphoribosyltransferases, representing the 'de novo' and salvage pathways respectively. PPRibP-At activity increased within 3 days of diabetes, whereas APRT and HPRT increased later. Incorporation of [14C]formate and of [8-14C]adenine into the nucleic acids of kidney slices showed that formate was incorporated earlier, and to a greater extent, than was adenine. These results indicate that, although the 'de novo' pathway for nucleotide synthesis is the main route in early diabetes, the salvage pathway assumes greater importance at later stages.