The rotational diffusion of immunoglobulin E (IgE) bound to its specific Fc receptor on the surface of living rat basophilic leukemia cells was determined from time-resolved phosphorescence emission and anisotropy measurements. The IgE-receptor complexes are mobile throughout the range of temperatures of 5-38 degrees C. The residual anisotropy does not reach zero, indicating that the rotational diffusion is hindered. The values of rotational correlation times for each temperature are consistent with dispersed receptors rotating freely in the cell membrane and rule out any significant aggregation of occupied receptors before cross-linking by antigen or anti-IgE antibodies. The rotational correlation times decrease with increasing temperature from 65 microseconds at 5.5 degrees C to 23 microseconds at 38 degrees C. However, the degree of orientational constraint experienced by the probe is unchanged. Thus, the temperature dependence can be attributed primarily to a change in the effective viscosity of the cellular plasma membrane. The phosphorescence depolarization technique is very sensitive (our probe concentrations were 10-100 nM) and thus generally applicable to studies of surface receptors and antigens on living cells.