CD44 glycoprotein is the main extracellular receptor for hyaluronic acid. The CD44 gene is composed of 20 exons and encodes a variety of isoforms generated by alternative splicing of 10 variant exons. Overexpression of discrete CD44 isoforms containing products of variant exons have been implicated in the progression of cancer, including human colon carcinoma. The pattern of CD44 transcripts changes during early colorectal carcinogenesis, and their relation to CD44 protein expression remains to be defined under experimental conditions. In the current study we investigated CD44 expression in a murine model of human colon adenoma/carcinoma. Colon tumors were induced in 19 ICR/Ha mice by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine injections and CD44 expression was studied by RT-PCR/ Southern blot analysis as well as immunohistochemistry. CD44 transcripts were strongly overexpressed in tumors compared to normal colon. Both neoplastic and normal colon samples exhibited the same species of CD44 transcript representing standard and variant isoforms. Seventy-five percent of neoplasms contained foci of CD44-positive tumor cells, whereas in normal colon the epithelial immunoreactivity was confined to the crypt base. Immunostaining of neoplastic cells was heterogeneous and there was a significant tendency toward the progressive loss of CD44 immunoreactivity in large invading tumors. It is concluded that early events in murine colorectal carcinogenesis are characterized by a marked global overexpression of standard and variant CD44 transcripts.