In order to study the adhesive interactions of the human bone marrow microenvironment and acute myeloid leukaemic cells, we investigated the binding capacity of KG-1 cells upon human long-term bone marrow cultures derived from 17 healthy volunteers and 12 patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Adhesion was measured using a 51-chromium labelling assay. Adhesion of KG-1 cells upon 'normal' stromal layers: 33% +/- 4.0, n = 17 (mean +/- SEM) was higher as compared to the binding to 'leukaemic' stromas: 24% +/- 3.7, n = 12 (p < 0.05). Blocking monoclonal antibodies against adhesion molecules reduced the binding of KG-1 cells upon 'normal' stroma, when anti-VLA4 (p < 0.03), anti-Mac1 (p < 0.03) and anti-p150/95 (p < 0.04) were used. Binding of KG-1 cells on 'leukaemic' stromas was partly inhibited by anti-VCAM1 (p < 0.03). Blocking achieved by single or combined antibodies was never complete, suggesting that the adhesion is a multifactorial process, including a variety of adhesion molecules and/or adhesion mechanisms.