C57BL/Ka bone marrow and spleen cells fractionated by density gradients were transplanted to lethally irradiated (800 rad) BALB/c recipients. Unfractionated bone marrow and spleen cell mixtures (1:1), or high density fractions of these cells induced acute lethal graft-vs-host disease (GVHD). In contrast, low and middle density fractions of bone marrow and spleen cell mixtures reconstituted the irradiated hosts, and the majority survived for at least 100 days. The latter cells contained sufficient hemopoietic cells for reconstitution, but were deficient in inducing GVHD. Examination of the T cell subsets in the low density fractions showed a reduction of typical alpha beta TCR+ CD4+ or CD8+ cells and little change in the proportion of alpha beta TCR+ CD4- CD8- cells. BALB/c mice injected with the BCL1 B cell leukemia/lymphoma were lethally irradiated and transplanted with unfractionated BALB/c or C57BL/Ka bone marrow and spleen mixtures or low density fractions of C57BL/Ka mixtures. All control unirradiated BALB/c mice given the BCL1 tumor cells died by day 55. Almost all BALB/c mice given the BCL1 tumor cells, irradiation, and injected with a syngeneic marrow and spleen mixture died by day 95. All of the latter recipients tested showed evidence of tumor relapse. Almost all BALB/c mice given BCL1 cells, irradiation, and a C57BL/Ka unfractionated marrow and spleen mixture died by day 40. The survival of BALB/c mice given BCL1 cells, irradiation, and a low density fraction of the C57BL/Ka mixture was markedly prolonged as compared to those recipients given unfractionated allogeneic or syngeneic mixtures. None of the low density fraction recipients tested showed evidence of tumor relapse. Similar results were obtained with leukemic C57BL/Ka x BALB/c F1 hybrid mice. Thus, the low density fraction fails to induce acute lethal GVHD, but retains graft-vs-leukemia activity.