In the teleost eye, the melanin granules of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) move in response to changes in light conditions. In the dark, pigment granules aggregate toward the cell base, and in the light, they disperse into long apical projections. Isolated RPE cells from the green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) were used to investigate the mechanism and regulation of pigment movement. Changing light conditions did not elicit pigment migration in isolated cells. However, pigment aggregation was induced by 3',5' cyclic-adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP), and forskolin (an adenylate cyclase activator). The effectiveness of forskolin suggests that an endogenous adenylate cyclase participates in regulating aggregation. Pigment dispersal was induced by the catecholamines epinephrine, phenylephrine, clonidine, dopamine, and apomorphine. Together the authors' studies suggest: that RPE cells contain the necessary motile machinery to support pigment granule transport in the absence of retina, but not the ability to respond to light; that elevating cAMP induces pigment aggregation; and that catecholamines induce dispersion by binding to receptors on the RPE cell. The authors' observations are consistent with previous suggestions that light regulation of RPE pigment migration is mediated by the retina.