Activation of integrin and organization of cytoskeletal proteins are highly regulated in cell adhesion and aggregation. The interaction of leukocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) and intercellular adhesion molecules-1 (ICAM-1) mediates cell adhesion and aggregation, which facilitate leukocyte trafficking to inflamed tissues and augment effector functions. We investigated how LFA-1/ICAM-1-mediated adhesion and aggregation are regulated in HL-60 cells induced to differentiate into neutrophils by retinoic acid (RA). Uninduced HL-60 cells did not bind to ICAM-1 even with stimulation by 12-0-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate, although they express LFA-1 on the cell surface. When cultured with RA for 24 hours, HL-60 cells were able to adhere to ICAM-1 constitutively. The induction of adhesion did not accompany any change in surface density of LFA-1, indicating that the avidity of LFA-1 was increased. The change in its avidity required de novo synthesis of proteins. Although ICAM-1 was intensely expressed on RA-induced HL-60 cells, these cells did not show any cellular aggregation. The HL-60 cells transfected with the active form of Ras (Val12) exhibited LFA-1/ICAM-1-dependent aggregation by RA stimulation without change in the avidity of LFA-1. In these Ras-transfectants, a cytoskeletal protein, paxillin, was tyrosine-phosphorylated, and the level of F-actin increased. Transforming growth factor (TGF) beta, as well as cytochalasin D, prevented both the tyrosine phosphorylation of paxillin and the aggregation without any effects on the avidity of LFA-1. Thus, an increase in the avidity of LFA-1 was not sufficient for the induction of aggregation, which required activation of Ras and reorganization of cytoskeletal proteins. These results suggest that distinct regulatory mechanisms control LFA-1/ICAM-1-dependent adhesion and aggregation in HL-60 cells differentiating into neutrophils.