The protein-bound polysaccharide extracted from a fungus, PSK, has been used as a biological response modifier in the treatment of cancer patients in Japan for over ten years. Although the antitumor mechanism of PSK is not fully understood, host-mediated antitumor activity has been claimed to play a significant role. The administration of PSK to tumor-bearing rodents inhibited tumor growth and modulated immune responses. To clarify the potential immunomodulating activities of PSK, we examined the direct effect of PSK on cytokine gene expression and production in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in vitro. As determined by Northern blotting, PSK was a potent inducer of gene expression for IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) and monocyte chemotactic and activating factor (MCAF), but not for IL-2 and lymphotoxin (LT). Expression of mRNA occurred at 1-3 hr in a dose dependent manner using from 5-400 micrograms/ml of PSK. Furthermore, these cytokines were also produced in response to PSK as detected by ELISA, RIA or bioassays. We speculate that these cytokines may mediate immunoenhancing actions of PSK in vivo.