Ligation of either CD80 (B7-1) or CD86 (B7-2), two principal ligands for CD28, is thought to skew the immune response toward Th1 or Th2 differentiation. We have examined early signal transduction pathways recruited following T cell stimulation with either CD80 or CD86. Purified human peripheral T cells or Jurkat T cells were stimulated with Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing either human CD80 (CHO-CD80) or human CD86 (CHO-CD86) or with anti-CD28 monoclonal antibody (mAb). In the presence of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, both CHO-CD80 and CHO-CD86, like anti-CD28 mAb, were capable of stimulating cytokine production from both human peripheral T cells and Jurkat T cells. Both CHO-CD80 and CHO-CD86, in the presence of anti-CD3 mAb, costimulated NFAT-dependent transcriptional activation. Several intracellular signaling proteins, such as CBL and VAV, were phosphorylated on tyrosine in response to CD80, CD86, and anti-CD28 mAb. Surprisingly, although stimulation of Jurkat T cells with either CHO-CD80 or anti-CD28 mAb resulted in robust tyrosine phosphorylation of CD28 itself, ligation with CHO-CD86 was unable to induce detectable CD28 tyrosyl phosphorylation over a range of stimulation conditions. In addition, the association of phosphoinositide 3-kinase with CD28 and enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of phospholipase C␥ were seen after anti-CD28 mAb and CHO-CD80 stimulation but to a much lesser extent after CHO-CD86 stimulation. Thus, ligation of CD28 with either CD80 or CD86 leads to shared early signal transduction events such as the tyrosine phosphorylation of CBL and VAV, to NFAT-mediated transcriptional activation, and to the costimulation of interleukin-2 and granulocyte-macrophage colonystimulating factor production. However, CD80 and CD86 also induce distinct signal transduction pathways including the tyrosine phosphorylation of CD28 and phospholipase C␥1 and the SH2-dependent association of phosphoinositide 3-kinase with CD28. These quantitative, if not qualitative, differences between signaling initiated by these two ligands for CD28 may contribute to functional differences (e.g. Th1 or Th2 differentiation) in T cell responses.Activation and maturation of resting T lymphocytes can be achieved by antigen-specific interactions of the TcR-CD3 complex in concert with a second, antigen-nonspecific signal. This second, costimulatory signal has been shown to prevent the induction of T cell anergy and to enhance cytokine production, notably IL-2 1 (1-3). Found on more than 95% of human CD4 ϩ T cells and on about 50% of human CD8 ϩ T cells, the cellsurface molecule CD28 is a major T cell costimulatory receptor. Engagement of the CD28 receptor with anti-CD28 mAb or by ligand prevents the induction of T cell anergy and supports IL-2 production and T cell proliferation.The B7 family members CD80 (B7-1) and CD86 (B7-2) are two principal ligands for CD28 and for CTLA-4 (CD152), a second CD28 family member. Whereas only 25% homologous by amino acid sequence, CD80 and CD86 bind CD28 with similar low affinities ...