The effect of erythropoietin (Epo) on colony formation by blast progenitors in acute myeloblastic leukaemia other than erythroleukaemia was studied using a blast colony assay. Epo alone did not induce colony formation, but when it was used together with phytohaemagglutinin-stimulated leucocyte-conditioned medium (PHA-LCM) the number of leukaemic colonies significantly increased in nine out of 12 cases studies. Preincubation of Epo with anti-Epo antibody completely abolished this enhancement, indicating that the increase in colony numbers was caused by Epo itself. Cell surface phenotype analysis of colonies produced by Epo plus PHA-LCM showed no increase in percentages of erythroid and megakaryocyte lineages. The addition of Epo also increased the self-renewal capacity of leukaemic blast cells. Fresh leukaemic cells did not express Epo receptors, but they were induced after incubation with PHA-LCM. The present study thus showed that the proliferative response to Epo is not restricted only to the erythroid lineage, but also extends to AML blast cells other than those in erythroleukaemia in the presence of colony stimulating factors.