An established megakaryoblastic cell line, MEG-01s, was used to study receptor expression and receptor-mediated responses to factors known to affect megakaryocytopoiesis. In addition, the antigenic characteristics of this cell line were further defined. MEG-01s cells were CD34+CD33+CD38 +/- HLA-DR- and expressed erythroid and granulocytic differentiation antigens as well as many megakaryocytic lineage-restricted antigens. These cells also expressed receptors for interleukin-3 (IL-3), IL-6, and stem cell factor (SCF), as measured by flow cytometry and/or RNA expression. MEG-01s cell proliferation or survival was only marginally influenced by these factors and their combinations. c-kit, the receptor for SCF, was downmodulated by its ligand. This modulation was time-dependent, appeared to involve receptor conformational changes, and became concentration-dependent by day 3. Northern blot analysis indicated that amounts of c-kit RNA increased as downmodulation proceeded. IL-3 induced IL-6 secretion in these cells, which was augmented by a protein kinase-C (PKC) inhibitor, H7, and reduced by a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, genistein. Evidence for autocrine regulation of this cell line by IL-6 was demonstrated by the inhibitory effects of an antisense oligonucleotide on 3H-thymidine (3H-TdR) incorporation. These cells should prove useful for studies of the early signal transduction mechanisms involved in cytokine function.