The activation of src-related tyrosine kinases following IL-3 stimulation was examined in 32Dcl3 cells. Three src-related tyrosine kinases were activated following IL-3 stimulation: fyn, hck, and lyn. 32Dcl3 cells were transfected with retroviral vectors expressing each of these kinases and independent clones overexpressing each kinase were isolated. In cells overexpressing either fyn or hck, IL-3 stimulated a rapid increase in catalytic activity, which remained elevated longer compared with the kinetics observed in parental 32Dcl3 cells. An increase in the number of tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins in the presence and absence of IL-3 stimulation was observed in cells overexpressing fyn or hck. Transfection of 32Dcl3 cells with a retroviral vector encoding lyn also resulted in an elevated level of kinase activity, although the increase was not as dramatic as that observed with fyn or hck. Consistent with observations in parental 32Dcl3 cells, a high basal level of lyn kinase activity was observed in unstimulated lyn-transfected cells and IL-3 stimulation resulted in an approximate threefold increase in kinase activity. Overexpression of c-src in 32Dcl3 did not result in IL-3-stimulated activation of c-src, indicating specificity for fyn, hck, and lyn. While the overexpression of fyn, hck, or lyn in 32Dcl3 cells resulted in increased kinase activity and IL-3 stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation, it did not render the cells more sensitive to IL-3. These results suggests that in addition to the JAK2 tyrosine kinase, src-related kinases may play a significant role in signal transduction by cytokine receptors.