To investigate the cellular immune events contributing to airway hyperreactivity (AHR), we studied an in vivo mouse model induced by the hapten picryl (trinitrophenyl) chloride (PCl). Mice were immunized by cutaneous contact sensitization with PCl and airway challenged subsequently with picryl sulfonic acid (PSA) antigen (Ag). Increased airway resistance was produced late (24 h) after Ag challenge, disappeared by 48 h, and was associated with no decrease in diffusion capacity. AHR could be produced in PCl immune/ PSA challenged mice on day 7 or even, with challenge, as early as 1 d after contact sensitization, after adoptive transfer of immune cells lacking CD3(+) contact sensitivity effector T cells, or after transfer of Ag-specific lymphoid cells depleted of conventional T lymphocytes with surface determinants for CD3, CD4, CD8, TCR-beta, or TCR-delta molecules. Further experiments showed that development of AHR depended upon transfer of immune cells expressing surface membrane Thy-1 and B220 (CD45RA) determinants. We concluded that a novel population of Ag-specific lymphoid cells with a defined surface phenotype (Thy-1(+), CD3(-), CD4(-), CD8(-), TCR-alphabeta-, TCR-gammadelta-, and CD45RA+) is required in a mouse model for the development of AHR.