We have analyzed the transcriptional regulation of the fra-2 gene in chicken embryo fibroblasts. Like c-fos, fra-2 was inducible by phorbol ester, cAMP and calcium ionophore, as well as serum. In all three cases, the induction of two species of fra-2 transcript (5.7 kb and 6.8 kb) was delayed and prolonged compared with that of c-fos mRNA. The size difference between the two transcripts was attributable to the heterogeneity of the 3'-end, probably reflecting utilization of different polyadenylation sites. The major transcriptional start point is located at 30 bp downstream of a TATA-like sequence. In the fra-2 promoter region, which is located in a typical CpG island, enhancer consensus sequences such as SCM, SRE, GC boxes and CRE-like sequences were detected upstream of the TATA-like sequence in the same order as that in the 5'-upstream region of the chicken c-fos gene. Fibroblast transfection studies with a series of promoter deletion constructs positioned upstream of bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase indicated, however, that SRE-like sequence is not the sole responsible element for the serum induction, and that a minimal fragment containing no SRE-like sequence is sufficient for this induction. Two typical AP-1 sequences are located between the major transcriptional initiation site and the coding sequence, and the binding activity of protein complexes to these sequences was induced by serum.