The interaction between intravenously transferred lymphocytes derived from spleens of multiple low-dose streptozotocin-diabetic mice with islet, exocrine pancreatic, and gastric mucosal endothelium of nondiabetic recipient mice was investigated by in vivo microscopy. Donor lymphocytes were stained with acridine red in vitro. The adoptive transfer of these cells from diabetic donor animals resulted in significantly increased lymphocyte rolling (4.46 +/- 1.32%, P < 0.05) and adhesion (3.86 +/- 1.04%, P < 0.05) in islets of nondiabetic recipients that had been pretreated with a single subdiabetogenic dose of streptozotocin. No increased endothelial interaction was noted in nonpretreated recipients or in experiments with nondiabetic donors. Rolling (1.19 +/- 0.61 to 2.71 +/- 0.62%) and adhesion (0.61 +/- 0.33 to 2.80 +/- 0.97%) of donor lymphocytes were low in exocrine pancreatic and gastric mucosal control tissue. It is concluded that, in this animal model, lymphocytes from diabetic donors interact preferentially with recipient islet endothelium. However, additional stimulation of recipient islet endothelium by exogenous factors is necessary to enable transferred cells to adhere to pancreatic islets.