Several characteristics of the binding of insulin and glucagon to human circulating mononuclear leukocytes have been studied. Functional analysis (latex bead ingestion) revealed that cell mixtures, as prepared according to Boyum and used generally in studies of insulin resistance in humans, consist of 20-29% phagocytic monocytes, with the remainder being lymphocytes. Partial separation of monocytes from lymphocytes on columns of Sephadex G-10, followed by correlation of insulin binding with cell type, confirms that the monocyte is the binding species. Insulin influenced neither glucose uptake nor the further conversion of glucose to lipids and CO2 by the leukocytes. The transport of alpha-aminoisobutyrate, a nonmetabolizable amino acid, into these cells was also unaffected by insulin. Monocyte/lymphocyte mixtures specifically bound glucagon and prostaglandin E1. At physiological concentrations of these hormones, steady states were reached in 15 min and 45 min, respectively. In contrast to the 8-10-fold increases in cellular cyclic AMP produced by prostaglandins, the effect of glucagon was very small but apparently real. Under appropriate preincubation conditions, sodium azide and iodoacetamide inhibited phagocytosis and insulin binding in parallel. The binding of glucagon was unaffected by these agents. Although both antimycin A and actinomycin D inhibited phagocytosis of the monocytes, only the former inhibited insulin binding; there was only a slight effect on glucagon binding. We would conclude that the binding of insulin to human circulating monocytes, although reflective of insulin resistance in diabetes mellitus and obesity, may not be to traditional receptors. In contrast, the binding of glucagon to lymphocyte/monocyte mixtures may be to function-linked receptors.