A new cytokine has been recognized in the conditioned media (CM) of freshly isolated acute myelocytic leukemia cells, cultured with 12-0-tetradecanayl phorbol acetate (TPA) 10(-8)M. The fraction with 70,000 MW was separated from CM by ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion-exchange cation and anion chromatography, and Sephadex G-200 gel filtration. It was a fibroblast growth inhibitor (FGI). This substance stopped fetal and skin (MALME 3 line) fibroblast propagation. The cytostatic effect was reversible on removal of FGI. At the same time, FGI did not inhibit macrophage proliferation. The fraction stimulated formation of monocytic and granulocytic colonies altered the phenotype of human U-2 osteosarcoma cells grown from epithelial-like to fibroblast-like cells, and stimulated differentiation of leukemic cells along the macrophage path. Some cells of promyelocytic leukemia line HL-60, grown in the presence of FGI, were stimulated to differentiate and some underwent lysis. The response to FGI of cells from different patients varied.