Porcine and bovine GH receptor (GHR) cDNAs were stably expressed in mouse L cells, which normally do not possess detectable levels of mouse GHR. Expression of the GHR cDNAs resulted in specific binding of 125I-labeled GH by these cell lines. To study GHR-related signaling events in these cells, protein tyrosine phosphorylation was examined. In GH-treated cells, a tyrosine-phosphorylated protein with a molecular mass of approximately 95 kDa (pp95) was increased dramatically (approximately 100-fold) relative to non-GH-treated cells. The amount of pp95 within the cells after GH treatment was positively correlated with the number of GHRs on the cells. Tyrosine phosphorylation of pp95 could not be induced by prolactin, insulin, insulin-like growth factor I, interleukin 2, epidermal growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, or fibroblast growth factor. Phosphorylation of pp95 was found to be a rapid event that could be observed 60 sec after GH treatment. Also, pp95 appears to exist as a complex of two proteins, i.e., pp95 and pp96. The GH-induced response by these cells may be of use in screening GH analogs for biological activity.