The treatment of nude mice bearing tumors of transplanted human leukemic cells with drugs known to induce differentiation of the same leukemic cells in vitro does not always affect tumor yield, tumor cell differentiation or nude mice survival. We have transplanted human monoblastic leukemic cells of the U-937 cell line into newborn Swiss nu/nu mice. Priming with cyclophosphamide, followed by subcutaneous injections of at least 10 x 10(6) cells allowed us to obtain solid tumors. The cytology, HLA phenotype and in vitro proliferation characteristics of the U-937 tumor cells were conserved. However, these tumor cells were more tumorigenic when reinjected into nude mice and showed a modified response to differentiation induction. A decreased capacity to differentiate with retinoic acid (RA) and a resistance to 1-beta-D arabinofuranosyl cytosine (Ara-C) and 1-25 dihydroxy vitamin D3 (1-25 (OH)2 D3) were noted in three tumor cell lines tested. With regard to the latter, the resistance was not due to a modification of the number of cell receptors. The study shows that though in vivo transplantation of human leukemic cells in nude mice may lead to a selection of resistant cells, systematic checking of in vitro differentiation characteristics of the tumor cells permits the nude mouse model to be maintained for the in vivo screening of new differentiating agents.