The L-selectin adhesion molecule mediates lymphocyte extravasation in peripheral lymph nodes, and has also been implicated in directing leukocyte recruitment to inflammatory tissues and metastasis of lymphoid malignancies. In this study, we demonstrate a novel level of regulation of L-selectin expression that involves the 16-kDa Leu-13 signal transduction molecule. Leu-13 is a member of a multimeric cell surface complex in lymphocytes that includes TAPA-1 (target of antiproliferative Ab-1, CD81) as well as lineage-specific proteins. In the present study, mAb-induced ligation of Leu-13 was shown to rapidly down-regulate L-selectin surface density on normal and malignant human lymphocytes, and to markedly inhibit L-selectin-mediated adhesion of lymphocytes to soluble carbohydrate ligands (i.e., PPME, phosphomonoester core polysaccharide) and to lymph node high endothelial venules. Through the use of genistein and staurosporine, potent inhibitors of tyrosine kinases (TK) and protein kinase C (PKC), respectively, Leu-13-induced L-selectin down-modulation was demonstrated to involve a TK-dependent, PKC-independent pathway, and was attributed to increased L-selectin shedding from surface membranes. Notably, direct L-selectin ligation, modeling cross-linking interactions with endothelial cell ligands, similarly down-regulates L-selectin surface expression through a TK-dependent, PKC-independent mechanism. In sharp contrast, PMA and anti-CD3 mAb down-regulate L-selectin via a staurosporine-sensitive, genistein-resistant pathway that is closely linked to lymphocyte proliferation. Taken together, these results demonstrate a novel role for Leu-13- and L-selectin-induced TK activity in control of L-selectin expression, thus providing insight into the complex molecular mechanisms that potentially regulate L-selectin-dependent lymphocyte homing in vivo.