Activities of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase were studied in rat uterus as a function of age, DNA and protein content. Linear kinetics were observed for uterine homogenate cyclic GMP (cGMP) phosphodiesterase activity, but anomalous double-reciprocal plots, suggestive of multiple enzyme forms, were observed for cyclic AMP (cAMP) hydrolysis, cAMP phosphodiesterase was therefore measured at high and low substrate concentrations, 200 muM and 0.25 muM cAMP, respectively, to approximate multiple enzyme activities. Based upon total organ content, the total cAMP and cGMP phosphodiesterase activities increased throughout uterine development, from 5-50 days of age. On the same basis, the apparent low KM cAMP phosphodiesterase increased only between days 5 and 15 and showed no significant increase between days 15 and 50. On the other hand, specific activities of an apparent low KM cAMP phosphodiesterase, expressed per mg of protein or per mug of DNA, showed a marked reduction in activity between 30 and 50 days of age. Chronic administration of 17beta-estradiol to immature rats increased their uterine protein content and decreased the specific activity of the apparent low KM cAMP phosphodiesterase. In another estrogen target tissue, the anterior pituitary, protein and DNA content also increased during development but no changes in specific activities of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase were noted. These results suggest the possible participation of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases in the induction of uterine growth and development by ovarian hormones.