The potential for differentiation of the human basophilic leukaemia cell line KU812 was examined by means of a panel of physiologic and non-physiologic substances used as inducers. The phenotypic characteristics of non-induced KU812 cells included an immature morphology with scanty cytoplasmic granulation, expression of a low amount of high affinity, but no low affinity receptors (CD 23) for IgE, and a capacity for low-rate histamine synthesis. The differentiation process was characterized by a rapid (24 h) increase in histamine production a slower morphological maturation with the development of Alcian blue stainable granula demonstrable after 72 h. Concomitant with the phenotypic alterations, cell growth was inhibited. Differentiation in KU812 cells was inducible by Ara-C and to some extent by sodium butyrate, but not by dimethyl sulphoxide, retinoic acid, or gamma-interferon. Conditioned medium (CM) from cultured peripheral blood cells from atopic individuals and 18 out of 22 analysed glioma cell lines induced differentiation of the KU812 cells, whereas supernatant from only 1 out of 21 other cell lines, including carcinoma, melanoma, sarcoma, leukaemia, and normal fibroblasts had this activity. CM from the T-leukaemic cell line, Mo, also induced KU812 differentiation. A primary fractionation of the active substance from this cell line by reversed phase chromatography eluted the active substance at a concentration of 42-44% acetonitrile. Our present study has shown that the KU812 may serve as an appropriate model to study differentiation of basophils. In addition, its fast and specific response to biological factors makes it suitable as a biological assay for determination of active factor produced by atopic individuals.