Production of reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) by the NADPH oxidase of neutrophils is a major mechanism of bacterial killing and, in pathologic circumstances, tissue damage. Integrins and selectins participate in neutrophil adhesion but may also play a role in intracellular signaling. The role of L-selectin in ROI production and Ca2+ signaling in suspended neutrophils was examined using the DREG series of anti-L-selectin antibodies. NADPH oxidase activation was assessed in three ways: H2O2 production using either scopoletin or dihydrorhodamine and O2- production using cytochrome c. Alterations in [Ca2+]i were measured using Fura 2-AM and fluorescence spectrophotometry. Cross-linking of L-selectin with DREG and 2 degrees antibody did not trigger production of H2O2 by itself but significantly enhanced the subsequent response to two soluble activating agents; the formyl peptide formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Potentiation of the oxidative burst was observed using F(ab')2 fragments but not with irrelevant antibodies and was observed whether 2 degrees antibody was added before or after fMLP. Cross-linking of L-selectin also triggered a rise in [Ca2+]i, due, in part, to release from intracellular stores. The intracellular Ca2+ chelator BAPTA blocked both the rise in [Ca2+]i and the potentiation of the oxidative burst in response to fMLP or TNF. We conclude that cross-linking of L-selectin induces intracellular signals, including release of Ca2+, which may contribute to potentiation of the oxidative burst.