Two monoclonal antibodies, MRK16 and MRK20 that recognize P-glycoprotein and P-85 kd protein on the surface of adriamycin (ADM) resistant cells, respectively, were tested for the reactivity with 40 cultured leukemia/lymphoma cell lines. F(ab')2 form is essential to avoid false reaction through Fc gamma-R. Drug sensitivity of 19 representative cell lines were also examined in vitro. From this study, it was found that these cell lines were classified into 4 groups. Group 1 (4 cell lines) was insensitive to ADM, mitoxantron (MXT), etoposide (VP-16) and vincristine (VCR), and reactive to MRK16 and MRL20. Group II (1 cell line) was insensitive to the 4 drugs, but not reactive to both antibodies. Group III (3 cell lines) was insensitive to ADM, MXT and VP-16, but sensitive to VCR, and reactive to MRK20, but not to MRK16. Group IV (all other cell lines) was sensitive to these drugs, and not reactive to both antibodies. From these results, MRK16 detects P-glycoprotein-associated multidrug resistance (MDR), while MRK20 does P 85-kd-associated another type MDR (cross resistance to ADM, MXT and VP-16, but not to VCR). MRK20 reacted with monocytes, but MRK16 did not with any WBC type. One hundred and ninety eight clinical samples obtained from blood cancer were tested for the reactivity with MRK16. MRK16 did not react with any of 98 samples obtained before treatment, but did with 9 of 100 obtained at relapse or refractory stage after chemotherapy. The results indicate that MRK16 is useful to detect drug resistance phenotype of leukemia and lymphoma.