Lung cancer is the leading cause of death in the United States, and it demonstrates a strong etiological association with smoking. The nicotine-derived nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) reproducibly induces pulmonary adenocarcinomas (ACs) in laboratory rodents and is considered an important contributing factor to the high lung cancer burden observed in smokers. It has been shown that the development of NNK-induced ACs in mice is reduced by inhibitors of cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase and that the growth of human AC cell lines is regulated by beta-adrenergic receptors. On the basis of structural similarities of NNK with classic beta-adrenergic agonists, we tested the hypothesis that NNK stimulates the growth of human AC cells via agonist-binding to beta-adrenergic receptors, resulting in the release of arachidonic acid (AA). In support of this hypothesis, radioreceptor assays with transfected CHO cell lines stably expressing the human beta1- or beta2-adrenergic receptor demonstrated high affinity binding of NNK to each of these receptors. Two human AC cell lines expressed beta1- and beta2-adrenergic receptors by reverse transcription-PCR and responded to NNK with the release of AA and an increase in DNA synthesis. Beta-adrenergic antagonists completely blocked the release of AA and increase in DNA synthesis. The cyclooxygenase inhibitor aspirin and the 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor MK-886 both partially inhibited DNA synthesis in response to NNK. Our findings identify the direct interaction of NNK with beta-adrenergic, AA-dependent pathways as a novel mechanism of action which may significantly contribute to the high cancer-causing potential of this nitrosamine. Moreover, NNK may also contribute to the development of smoking-related nonneoplastic disease via this mechanism.