Cytopathic effects of adenovirus-infected human cells consist of rounding and detachment from the substrate at late times postinfection. It is not known, however, whether any changes in cell adhesion are induced by adenoviruses before cytopathic effects become evident. We show here that attachment and spreading of human adenovirus type 2 (Ad2)-infected KB cells on fibronectin (FN) are, unexpectedly, promoted at intermediate times postinfection. The promotion of spreading by Ad2 is not only on fibronectin but also on laminin and vitronectin. In contrast, Ad2 or Ad5 mutants defective in the E1b 19-kDa function did not lead to a promotion in cell attachment but they led to a promotion in cell spreading. Inhibition of spreading of Ad2-infected KB cells on FN by the peptide Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser-Pro is partial, although it is complete in uninfected KB cells. We found, however, that Ad2 infection does not significantly change the levels of expression of beta 1 integrin mRNA and FN receptor polypeptides. Our results thus suggest that adenovirus infection leads to a promotion in adhesion through influencing integrin molecules without altering the quantity and/or through activation in the cytoskeleton or some other pathway.