Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disorder caused by the t(9;22) translocation. This translocation creates a unique tyrosine kinase oncogene, bcr/abl, whose product, p210BCR/ABL, is localized to the actin cytoskeleton. One of the major tyrosine phosphoproteins in cells transformed by p210BCR/ABL is the protooncoprotein p120c-Cbl. We have previously shown that p210BCR/ABL induces formation of a multimeric complex of proteins which include p120c-Cbl, phosphotidylinositol-3' kinase, and p210BCR/ABL itself. Here we show that certain focal adhesion proteins are also part of this complex, including paxillin and talin. The sites in paxillin required to bind to p120c-Cbl in this complex have been partially mapped. The interaction of pl20c-Cbl with paxillin is specific, since other focal adhesion proteins, such as p125FAK, vinculin, and alpha-actinin, are not in this complex. The binding of p120c-Cbl to the focal adhesion protein paxillin could contribute to the known adhesive defects of CML cells.