We investigated the role of osteopontin (OPN) in interleukin-12 (IL-12) production from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) stimulated with Penicillium marneffei. Kinetic studies showed that OPN synthesis preceded that of IL-12 at both mRNA and protein levels when PBMCs were cocultured with P. marneffei. Treatment with anti-OPN monoclonal antibodies (MAb) significantly suppressed IL-12 secretion. Furthermore, native OPN induced a profound level of synthesis of IL-12 from noninfected PBMCs. The major cellular source of OPN was monocytes, because depletion of CD14 ؉ cells resulted in the abrogation of such production. We also examined the regulatory role of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in OPN secretion from P. marneffei-stimulated PBMCs. Neutralizing anti-GM-CSF MAb significantly reduced OPN secretion, and treatment with this cytokine induced OPN production from both infected and noninfected PBMCs. Finally, antagonists against the mannose receptor but not the -glucan receptor almost completely abrogated the production of OPN. Our results demonstrated that OPN secreted from monocytes is involved in the production of IL-12 from PBMCs after stimulation with P. marneffei and that OPN production is regulated by GM-CSF. Our results also indicated the possible involvement of the mannose receptor as a signaltransducing receptor for triggering the secretion of OPN by P. marneffei-stimulated PBMCs.Penicillium marneffei, an opportunistic fungal pathogen, causes a life-threatening deep-seated systemic infection in patients with AIDS in Southeast Asian countries. The incidence of P. marneffei infection has been increasing among AIDS patients in Thailand since a decade ago (8,12,40). As predicted by the high incidence in these patients, cellular immunity is a central mechanism that mediates host resistance against infection with P. marneffei (18), and CD4 ϩ T cells play an important role in eradicating the microorganisms from infected sites (19). Interleukin-12 (IL-12) protects mice against this infection (17). Furthermore, gamma interferon, generated during the progression of cellular immunity, renders murine macrophages highly active in killing P. marneffei yeast cells, a form usually detected in biological samples from infected patients, by promoting the release of nitric oxide (20).Osteopontin (OPN), a phosphoprotein originally isolated from bone, contains an RGD sequence similar to that of other extracellular matrix and serum proteins, including fibronectin, vitronectin, collagen, thrombospondin, and fibrinogen (7,30,42). OPN promotes integrin-and CD44-mediated cell adhesion and chemotaxis of osteoclasts, smooth muscle cells, macrophages, and T cells (30). OPN production is elevated in various pathophysiological conditions, such as atherosclerosis, nephritis, malignancy, pulmonary fibrosis, wound healing, and bone remodeling (6,9,13,21,28,35,41). OPN is also abundantly produced by T cells and macrophages during the formation of granulomatous lesions in sarcoidosis and tuberculosis (4,25...