The leukocyte integrin LFA-1 (CD11a/CD18) plays a key role in many adhesive interactions involving cells of the immune system. Recently, it has been shown that LFA-1 is not only involved in cell adhesion, but that stimulation of LFA-1 can also contribute to cell activation. We now demonstrate that triggering of LFA-1 on T lymphocytes by monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against the LFA-1 alpha chain, but not against the LFA-1 beta chain, promotes cell adhesion. Induction of homotypic adhesion was only observed in T cells that had been pre-activated with anti-CD3 and not in resting peripheral blood T lymphocytes. The induced homotypic adhesion is mediated by LFA-itself, because it was inhibited by anti-LFA-1 beta mAb. This notion is supported by the temperature and divalent cation dependence which is characteristic of LFA-1-mediated adhesion. mAb against ICAM-1 (CD54) did not block LFA-1 alpha-induced adhesion. The sensitivity of LFA-1 alpha-induced adhesion to H7, which prevents the activation of protein kinase C and protein kinase A, and to cytochalasin B, which inhibits microfilament formation, suggests that the activation of the LFA-1 pathway through the LFA-1 alpha chain involves cell activation and requires an intact cytoskeleton.