The prominence of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in rodent thymic neurons suggested that this potent mediator of T cell functions may alter developmental responses of thymocytes to T cell receptor (TCR) -dependent stimulation. CD4+8+ DPK cells derived from a thymic lymphoma of a TCR transgenic mouse respond to pigeon cytochrome C (PCC) antigen in association with distinct I-E MHC II haplotypes on antigen-presenting cells (APCs) by differentiating into CD4+8- T cells. The specific recognition of VIP by two types of homologous G-protein-coupled receptors (VIPR1 and VIPR2) on DPK cells was attributable predominantly to VIPR1 before and to VIPR2 after exposure to APCs and PCC, as assessed by quantification of the respective mRNAs. PCC-evoked differentiation of DPK cells was enhanced significantly by 1 to 100 nM VIP after 3 to 4 days. The effects of VIP analogs with VIPR type selectivity implied that VIP enhancement of differentiation of DPK cells was mediated principally by VIPR2. Differential reduction in the expression of each type of VIPR by transfection of DPK cells with plasmids encoding the respective antisense mRNAs confirmed the central role of VIPR2 in VIP-enhanced conversion to CD4+8- T cells. The suppression of DPK cell differentiation by inhibitors of adenylyl cyclase and protein kinase A suggested a transductional role for VIP-elicited increases in [cAMP]i. That the changes in frequency of CD4+8+ and CD4+8- DPK cells reflected principally differentiation was supported by the lack of consistent differences between the two subsets in the effects of VIP and VIPR2 agonist on cell number, viability, apoptosis, and proliferation. VIP may be one endogenous mediator that explains the unique thymic microenvironment for topographically specific development of T cells.