The active vitamin D metabolite, 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol induces differentiation of monocytes into macrophages. The pharmacological induction of differentiation of primitive, rapidly proliferating cell lines into more mature cells with lower proliferative potential is a new dimension in the treatment of myeloproliferative disorders, which may prove to be an important alternative to more traditional regimens. Furthermore, the cell primarily engaged in bone resorption--the osteoclast--represents another differentiated form of mononuclear phagocytes, and 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol increases the number of osteoclasts. Since the cellular action of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol is exerted mainly through its binding to nuclear receptors, a detailed knowledge of ligand-receptor interactions is mandatory for future work in this area. In order to investigate the interaction between 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol and its receptor in mononuclear cells, the nuclear uptake of the hormone was studied using a whole cell assay. The nuclear uptake of 1,25-dihydroxy[3H]cholecalciferol in human monocytes at physiological temperature and pH was saturable, specific, and fully reversible. When eight normal individuals were investigated, the maximal binding capacity (Bmax) was 0.4-8.4 fmol/10(6) cells and the dissociation constants (Kd) were 0.12-0.45 nmol/l. The characterization of the nuclear uptake of 1,25-dihydroxy[3H]cholecalciferol in intact human monocytes shows that it is mediated by binding of the ligand to a specific nuclear receptor. The binding to the nuclear receptor is the result of the passage of ligand across the cytoplasmic membrane and of the cytoplasmic transport of ligand. In contrast to conventional receptor assays in hypertonic cellular extracts, this system provides information on the role of the cytoplasmic membrane in relation to the nuclear uptake of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol, which may be closer to in vivo cellular conditions.