Stimulation of an effective in vitro or in vivo response by naive CD8 T cells requires three signals: TCR engagement, costimulation/IL-2, and a third signal that can be provided by IL-12. In addition to being required for acquisition of cytolytic function, IL-12 is required for optimal IL-2-dependent proliferation and clonal expansion. In experiments examining in vitro stimulation of naive CD8 T cells, IL-12 is shown to stimulate expression of the IL-2R alpha-chain (CD25) to much higher levels than are reached in response to just TCR and costimulation and/or IL-2. In addition, high CD25 expression is substantially prolonged in the presence of IL-12. As a consequence, the cells proliferate more effectively in response to low levels of IL-2. Examination of adoptively transferred TCR transgenic CD8 T cells responding to peptide Ag confirmed that IL-12 up-regulates CD25 in vivo, even when B7-mediated costimulation is largely blocked. TCR- and IL-2-dependent proliferation of CD8 T cells from mice deficient in CD25 was also found to increase in the presence of IL-12, indicating that CD25 up-regulation is not the only mechanism by which IL-12 increases clonal expansion of the cells. IL-2 and IL-12 both act to increase expression of both CD25 and the IL-12R, thus providing positive cross-regulation of receptor expression. These results suggest that when cross-priming dendritic cells present class I/Ag and costimulatory ligands, and produce IL-12, naive CD8 T cells will begin to produce IL-2 and both receptors will be optimally up-regulated to insure that an effective response is generated.