Human malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) comprise both fibroblast-like cells and histiocyte-like cells. We previously showed that the latter are not neoplastic cells, but are infiltrating macrophages. Since migration of blood monocytes into the tumor might be a response to a locally elaborated monocyte chemoattractant, we designed experiments to determine if the fibroblast-like tumor cells produced a chemoattractant for human monocytes. Malignant fibrous histiocytoma from three patients was put into culture. Cells of all three lines had a spindle shape, and showed no reactivity with antibodies against macrophages (MAC387), HLA-DR (LN3), or leukocyte common antigen. Immunohistochemically, they stained with antibody against human monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). Culture supernatants of the three cell lines had chemotactic activity for monocytes. This activity was due to MCP-1, since it was absorbed by an anti-MCP-1 column. The production of MCP-1 by MFH tumor lines was confirmed by immunoprecipitation of metabolically labeled MCP-1. These results suggest that the histiocyte-like cells are the infiltrated macrophages that originate from blood monocytes attracted by tumor-derived MCP-1.