In the present study we examined the production of fibronectin (FN) in 10 human myeloma cell lines (HMCL). By Northern blot analysis we could detect the presence of FN-mRNA in most of these lines. A majority of the cell lines (LP-1, OPM1, SKMM-2, EJM, JJN3 and ARH-77) hybridized with two probes recognizing total FN while the mRNA of one cell line (LB84-1) was shown to hybridize also with a probe recognizing the EDA segment of cellular FN. In one cell line (L363) FN-mRnA could only be detected after PCR amplification. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we could also demonstrate that HMCL secrete FN in their culture medium. Seven myeloma cell lines that produce FN showed a significant adherence to soluble FN. By blocking experiments, this adhesion was found to be mediated by the VLA-4 (alpha 4 beta 1) receptor. The production of fibronectin and the expression of a functional receptor for this protein may represent independent features of myeloma cells but may also be functionally linked. Since fibronectin has recently been identified as a crucial co-factor of IL6 in the regulation of the terminal B cell differentiation, the endogenous FN production may be part of an autocrine-line process mediating the autonomous growth of these cell lines. Alternatively, the FN production may also reflect a mechanism that myeloma cells use to communicate with their natural environment, i.e. the bone marrow stroma.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)