Despite the well known interrelationship between the CD2- and CD3-mediated signal transduction pathways, it is not well established whether the CD2 surface expression can be regulated by triggering of TCR/CD3 complex. In this study we show that the stimulation of human PBMC with the Cris-7 (CD3) mAb, both in soluble and particulate form, results in hyperexpression of the CD2 surface Ag, as assessed by immunofluorescence and semi-quantitative immunoprecipitation assays. Similar effects on CD2 surface expression were obtained when different CD3 mAb (OKT3, RW2-8C8 and Leu-4) were tested. The CD3-mediated CD2 up-regulation was suppressed by cycloheximide and actinomycin D, indicating that it requires de novo protein and RNA synthesis. In agreement with this, increased CD2 RNA levels were observed after 3 h of stimulation, reaching a plateau at 24 h that was maintained for 72 h. The CD2 up-regulation was concomitant to other CD3-induced activation-related events such as induction of surface CD25 and CD71 and high RNA levels for c-myc, IL-2R alpha- and beta-chains, CD71, and IFN-gamma. CD2 up-regulation appeared to be elicited by a protein kinase C-dependent mechanism because it was abrogated by staurosporine, a potent protein kinase C inhibitor. Moreover, IL-2-dependent events may also help in enhancing CD2 hyper-expression because it was only partially inhibitable by cyclosporine, dexamethasone, or Mar-108 (CD25) mAb. In conclusion, our data suggest that CD2 up-regulation can be a relevant event in T cell activation triggered by the physiologic engagement of the TCR/CD3 complex.