The effect of lengthening the distance in an adhesion molecule between the receptor binding site and the membrane anchor was studied by inserting four Ig-like domains into the two Ig domain lymphocyte function-associated antigen 3 (LFA-3) molecule. The extended molecule expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells bound to CD2 on T lymphocytes 4- to 20-fold more efficiently than the wild-type molecule at 4 degrees C. Treatment of the CHO clones with neuraminidase to remove sialic acid, or with deoxymannojirimycin to reduce the bulk of N-linked glycosylation, showed that adhesion to both the wild-type and the chimeric LFA-3 molecules was under the influence of cell-cell repulsive forces to a similar extent and that these treatments had less effect than lengthening LFA-3. At higher temperatures, such as 22 and 37 degrees C, the efficiency of binding to the wild-type LFA-3 increased to levels comparable with binding to extended LFA-3. Our results suggest that more distal locations of the adhesive binding site from the cell membrane anchor increase the efficiency of cell-cell adhesion by enhancing the frequency of receptor encounter with ligand and that more proximal locations of the adhesive binding site can provide efficient cell-cell adhesion at physiological temperatures.