The action of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) on several retrovirus-related functions was investigated in four virus-host cell systems. The following effects were recorded: (i) in STU-mice, infected with the Friend virus complex (Friend) murine leukaemia virus/Friend spleen focus forming virus) and treated with TPA (50 ng/g) for one week prior to infection, the number of spleen foci increased 5-fold over the control. (ii) Addition of TPA (0.04 to 40 ng/ml) to virus-producing cell systems resulted in a 2-fold increase of extracellular reverse transcriptase activity. The maximum response was observed in Friend leukemia virus-producing mouse cells at 0.1 to 0.4 ng TPA/ml and in simian sarcoma virus-producing rat cells at 4 ng/ml. (iii) The efficiency of transformation of BalbC 3T3 cells by Moloney murine sarcoma virus, tested in a focus formation assay, was slightly enhanced by TPA. (iv) TPA inhibited the induction of endogenous virus formation in B cell mitogen-stimulated spleen cell cultures from BalbC mice.