Among cytoplasmic protein-tyrosine kinases (PTKs) Tec now forms a novel subfamily with recently identified Tec-related PTKs (Btk and Itk/Tsk). Tec is known to be abundantly expressed in myeloid cells, and multiple forms of Tec protein can be generated via the mechanism of alternative splicing. In this report, we have investigated 5'-terminal diversity of the tec messages to demonstrate a predominant form of the Tec protein in mouse hematopoietic cell lines. Using anti-Tec serum, we could show that stimulation with interleukin-3 (IL-3) can induce tyrosine phosphorylation of Tec both in myeloid and pro-B-cell lines. IL-3 stimulation was also shown to induce kinase activity of Tec. Furthermore, we could demonstrate that Tec is constitutively associated with the Shc protein in vivo. Thus, we conclude that Tec is involved in the signaling pathway of IL-3.