Rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells differentiate to neuronal cells in response to nerve growth factor. It has been shown that microinjection of oncogenic but not proto-oncogenic p21 protein induces morphological differentiation in PC12 cells (D. Bar-Sagi and J. R. Feramisco, Cell 42:841-848, 1985). In this paper we describe a recombinant human proto-oncogenic Ha-ras protein which can effectively induce neurite extension of PC12 cells when microinjected as a complex with guanosine-5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate). The protein was found to be less effective when complexed with GTP. On the other hand, an oncogenic ras protein coinjected with guanosine-5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) was entirely inactive. These results indicate that the binary p21-GTP complex, but not the p21-GDP complex, is effective in inducing differentiation in PC12 cells, irrespective of the oncogenic or the proto-oncogenic protein.