Anti-CD3-activated human CD4+ T cell clones were found to induce proliferation of CD10+, CD19+, surface(s) Ig- B cell precursors (BCP) isolated from human fetal bone marrow. The great majority of the B lineage cells recovered in cocultures of BCP and activated T cells displayed a BCP phenotype (Ig- or cytoplasmic mu+ and kappa/lambda-), including most of the cycling cells, indicating that the cultures do not favor a transition to mature B cells. Supernatants of activated T cells were ineffective in inducing BCP proliferation, indicating the necessity of close association with stimulator cells. In line with this finding, the CD40 molecule was found to represent an important component of the cocultures, as BCP proliferation was strongly inhibited by soluble anti-CD40 antibody. In addition, CD4+ T cell clones from a hyper-IgM patient expressing a truncated CD40 ligand (CD40-L) failed to induce BCP proliferation. Finally, a combination of cytokines (IL-2, IL-3, IL-7, and IL-10) enhanced the observed T cell-dependent BCP proliferation, but could not substitute for the deficient CD40-L. Taken together, our data demonstrate that CD4+ T cells exert a stimulatory effect on in vitro B human lymphopoiesis via the CD40 pathway. The present results suggest that T cells may play an important role in regulating B cell ontogeny in the bone marrow.