GRO alpha, a protein structurally related to interleukin-8 (IL-8) and originally described as a melanoma growth stimulatory factor, possesses potent neutrophil-stimulating activity. Recently, two closely related genes, gro beta and gro gamma, were identified. In the present work, the three GRO proteins were chemically synthesized, and their biological activities on human neutrophils and other leukocytes were compared. GRO alpha, GRO beta, and GRO gamma, like IL-8, induced chemotaxis, shape change, a rise in intracellular free calcium levels, exocytosis, and the respiratory burst in neutrophils. The GRO proteins were also active toward basophils as shown by chemotaxis and intracellular calcium concentration changes. The order of potency in neutrophils and basophils was IL-8 > GRO alpha > or = GRO gamma > GRO beta. Of the two IL-8 receptors expressed on human neutrophils, one binds GRO alpha with high and the other with low affinity. Competition binding experiments using radiolabeled IL-8 and GRO alpha revealed the same characteristics for GRO beta and GRO gamma. Similarly, cross-desensitization, as assessed by the stimulus-dependent changes in intracellular calcium concentration, indicated that all three GRO proteins interact with common receptors. From these results, it can be concluded that GRO alpha, GRO beta, and GRO gamma have the same pattern of activity toward human granulocytes and that the differences in amino acid sequence among these proteins have only minor effects on biological activity.