Engagement of the antigen receptor on WEHI 231 murine B lymphoma cells leads to growth arrest and induction of apoptosis. Concomitant signaling through CD40 sustains proliferation and rescues the cells from apoptosis. At the molecular level, CD40 has been shown to activate nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) and stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK). The aim of our present study was to define the stretch of the CD40 cytoplasmic tail responsible for mediating these effects in WEHI 231 cells. Using recombinant retroviruses with the enhanced green fluorescent protein as selection marker we transduced WEHI 231 cells with chimeric molecules consisting of the extracellular and transmembrane region of human CD40 or rat CD4 and selected portions of the murine CD40 tail. Chimeric molecules with cytoplasmic fragments encompassing the "CD40 tumor necrosis factor-associated factor family member interacting motif" (TIM) were able to sustain growth and to uphold NF-kappaB activity as efficiently as the whole intracellular region of CD40. While the potential of the motif relative to the whole cytoplasmic tail was independent of the heterologous part of the chimeras it was strongly influenced by its distance to the membrane. Placing the 17-amino acid stretch of the motif too close to the membrane, i. e. only two or four amino acids apart, destroyed its capacity to mitigate the anti-IgM effect. Activation of SAPK through the chimeric molecules always correlated with their ability to activate NF-kappaB activity and to rescue the cells from apoptosis induced by antigen receptor ligation. Our data indicate that CD40-TIM carries most if not all of the information needed to deliver the signals responsible for sustaining growth in anti-IgM-stimulated WEHI 231 cells.