Calcium ionophore, A23187, induces commitment to differentiation but inhibits the subsequent expression of erythroid genes in murine erythroleukemia cells. Murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cells are a useful model for studying the processes that regulate erythroid differentiation because exposure of these cells to a variety of chemical inducing agents results in expression of erythroid-specific genes and the resultant loss of cellular immortality. Previously it has been suggested that the calcium ionophore, A23187, has effects on the early cellular events that lead to the commitment of these cells to differentiation, but was not in itself sufficient to induce differentiation. We demonstrate here that A23187, as well as another calcium ionophore, ionomycin, are capable of inducing commitment to differentiation. Unlike other inducing agents, continual exposure to A23187 inhibits transcription of the erythroid-specific genes, beta-globin and Band 3. This effect is not attributable to an increase in cytosolic calcium concentration, because cells induced by ionomycin produce normal amounts of hemoglobin. These effects of A23187 on MEL cells confirm that commitment to differentiation is a distinct event from the subsequent transcriptional activation of erythroid genes. The ability of both ionophores to induce commitment to differentiation suggests that an increase in cytosolic calcium can trigger commitment to differentiation. These agents should prove useful in investigating the cellular processes that are responsible for commitment to differentiation. 