Interleukin 2 (IL 2) receptor (IL 2-R) is constitutively expressed on T cell lines established from the patients with adult T cell leukemia (ATL), which is a human T cell leukemia lymphoma virus (HTLV-1)(+) T4(+)-leukemia endemic in Japan, the United States, and other countries. Many of these cell lines continuously produce an acidic lymphokine, ATL-derived factor (ADF), which preferentially induces the synthesis and expression of IL 2-R on a sensitive HTLV-1(-) non-T cell line (YT). The induced IL 2-R was characterized by the binding of 125I-IL 2 and flow cytometry by using fluoresceinated anti-human IL 2-R monoclonal antibodies (anti-Tac). Scatchard analysis with 125I-IL 2 showed ADF induced high-affinity receptor sites on YT cells. To test the possibility that ADF produced by HTLV-1(+) T cells is involved in the abnormal expression of IL 2-R, we studied the effect of ADF on an HTLV-1(+) IL 2-dependent T cell line (ED) in which the beta-chain gene of the T cell antigen receptor (T beta) was rearranged. Unlike IL 2-independent HTLV-1(+) cell lines that constitutively expressed Il 2-R, the IL 2-R expression on ED cells declined in the absence of crude IL 2 or recombinant IL 2. When either ADF or recombinant IL 2 was added to the culture of ED cells, there was a dose-dependent enhancement of IL 2-R expression in 24 hr. ADF and IL 2 showed a synergism in the IL 2-R induction, and both factors were needed to induce the maximal receptor expression in these T cells. The lack of IL 2 production by ADF-treated YT, as well as ED cell line suggested IL 2 may not be involved in the IL 2-R induction by ADF. Northern blot hybridization with human IL 2-R cDNA probe showed the increase of IL 2-R mRNA in YT cells after ADF-treatment. ADF also enhanced IL 2-R expression of a rat T cell line transformed by HTLV-1(TARS-1), as demonstrated with anti-rat IL 2 receptor monoclonal antibodies (ART-18). An ADF-like IL 2-R-inducing factor was also detected in the conditioned medium of two HTLV-1(+) rat T cell lines (TARL-2 and TART-1), which constitutively expressed a higher number of Il 2-R than TARS-1 cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)