Angiotensin II (AII) receptor binding assays were performed in rat adipocytes from three separate anatomic depots. Fat cells were isolated by collagenase digestion, and plasma membranes were prepared from the epididymal, mesenteric, and retroperitoneal fat depots of male Sprague-Dawley rats at 100 days of age. Binding of 125I-labeled [Sar1,Ile8]AII was rapid, saturable, and specific in membranes from all depots, identifying a receptor with a similar affinity of approximately 1 nM. Site-associated differences in receptor number were observed, with epididymal and mesenteric fat cell membranes exhibiting significantly more receptors than retroperitoneal fat cells when binding was expressed per unit of membrane protein. When corrected for cell volume, the number of receptors per cell ranked epididymal > retroperitoneal > mesenteric. Inhibitory constants for the peptide agonists AII and AIII and the peptide antagonist [Sar1,Ala8]AII indicated similar affinities in all three depots. Because the receptor has been classified pharmacologically into two subtypes, the AT1 selective antagonist losartan, and the AT2 selective antagonist PD 123,319 were used to classify the adipocyte receptor, indicating an AT1 subtype with an affinity for losartan in the mesenteric and retroperitoneal adipocytes that was significantly greater than the epididymal. Similar studies were performed in adipocyte membranes obtained from human omental and subcutaneous adipose tissue, revealing the presence of an AII receptor in both depots with an affinity of approximately 10 nM for losartan. These data indicate site-specific differences in AII receptor number in fat cell membranes from rats and the existence of human adipocyte AII receptors, suggesting that the adipocyte is significant for the peripheral metabolism of components of the renin-angiotensin system.