In this review we summarize the present status of our knowledge on the enzymes involved in the extracellular metabolism of nucleotides and the receptors involved in nucleotide signalling. We focus on the mechanism of the ATP and ADP signalling pathways in glioma C6, representative of the type of nonexcitable cells. In these cells, ATP acts on the P2Y(2) receptor coupled to phospholipase C, whereas ADP on two distinct P2Y receptors: P2Y(1) and P2Y(12). The former is linked to phospholipase C and the latter is negatively coupled to adenylyl cyclase. The possible cross-talk between the ATP-, ADP- and adenosine-induced pathways, leading to simultaneous regulation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and cAMP mediated signalling, is discussed.