It has been described that interleukin 3 (IL3) activates JAK2, which in rum stimulates STAT5 activation. We found, however, that IL3 induces tyrosine-phosphorylation of Tyk2 as well as JAK2 in IL3-dependent mouse cell lines, FDC-P2 and Ba/F3. Furthermore, we found that IL3 induces activation of not only STAT5 but also STAT1 and STAT3. Taken together with other observations, these results indicate that IL3, erythropoietin and thrombopoietin share a common JAK-STAT signaling pathway. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.