In the present study the role of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) in endotoxin-induced mitogenicity of mouse spleen cells was examined. TNFα was found to enhance endotoxin-induced proliferation of spleen cells. However, in the absence of endotoxin, tumor necrosis factor treatment was without effect. An antiserum against TNFα completely abolished the mitogenic effect of endotoxin in spleen cell cultures. This inhibition was reversed by exogenously added TNFα. The TNFα production in spleen cell cultures reached a maximum after 6 h. When the antiserum was added to cultures at various time intervals following endotoxin addition, maximal inhibition was observed at a time point 6 h after the start. These data suggest that TNFα has a function in endotoxin-induced mitogenicity of murine spleen cells.