Thrombin treatment causes a dose-dependent rounding of 1321N1 astrocytoma cells. This cytoskeletal response is rapid, peaking 2 h after thrombin stimulation, and reverses by 50% after 24 h. The thrombin receptor peptide SFLLRNP also induces cell rounding, whereas other G protein-linked receptor agonists such as carbachol, lysophosphatidic acid, or bradykinin fail to do so. Results of studies using pharmacological inhibitors do not support a requirement for phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, mitogen-activated protein kinase, or Ca2+ mobilization in this response. Inhibition of protein kinase C or tyrosine kinase produces minimal blockade. Pertussis toxin treatment is also without effect. However, thrombin-induced rounding is fully blocked by the C3 toxin from Clostridium botulinum, which specifically ADP-ribosylates and inactivates the small G protein Rho. Thrombin also leads to a rapid, 2.4-fold increase in 32P incorporation into myosin light chain while carbachol does not. Myosin phosphorylation, like cell rounding is inhibited by inactivation of Rho with C3 exoenzyme, suggesting that myosin phosphorylation is necessary for this cytoskeletal response. This is supported by the observation that thrombin-induced rounding is also blocked by the myosin light chain kinase inhibitor KT5926. However, treatment with KT5926 fails to inhibit mitogenesis. Thus, cell rounding is not prerequisite to thrombin-induced DNA synthesis. We conclude that stimulation of the heterotrimeric G protein-coupled thrombin receptor in 1321N1 cells activates Rho-dependent pathways for both DNA synthesis and cell rounding, the cytoskeletal response being mediated in part through increases in myosin phosphorylation.