APC activity of spleen cells from C57BL/10 (B10) mice infected with LP-BM5 murine leukemia virus (MuLV), which is known as a murine acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (MAIDS) virus, was investigated. The ability of splenic APC from LP-BM5 MuLV-inoculated B10 mice to induce soluble Ag-specific proliferation of cloned Th cells was decreased progressively during the infection. The APC defect was found to be due neither to the decreased expression of Ia Ag nor to the insufficient production of IL-1. It was demonstrated that cloned Th stimulated with virus-infected splenic APC displayed the increased [Ca2+]i with severely decreased inositol phospholipid metabolism, which probably led to the defect of Th proliferative responses. These results suggested that the failure of Th to respond to soluble Ag in MAIDS is at least in part due to a selective defect in signal transduction caused by abnormal APC.