1. These studies examined the theory that ATP served to regulate muscle sugar transport by a feedback mechanism. Xylose uptake by isolated rat soleus muscle was determined over a 5-min period following preincubation at 37 degrees C for various times in the presence of insulin (0.1 unit/ml), 2,4-dinitrophenol (0.5 or 0.05 mM) or salicylate (5 mM) or under anaerobic conditions. 2. Xylose uptake, measured in freshly isolated soleus muscles, was approximately 3.5--4.0 mumol/g per h. When the muscles were preincubated at 37 degrees C, this rate fell by 50% during the first 30 min and then slowly increased. 3. The stimulatory effect of insulin was evident within 2 min in freshly isolated soleus muscle and increased on preincubation, reaching a maximum value (approx. 14 mumol/g per h) after 20 min. 4. There was a 10-min lag period before xylose uptake was stimulated by anoxia. This lag period was approximately doubled when the incubation temperature was lowered from 37 degrees C. The stimulatory effect of anoxia was promptly reversed when muscles were transferred from anaerobic to aerobic conditions. 5. There was a 5-min lag period before xylose uptake was stimulated by 2,4-dinitrophenol (0.05 mM) or by sodium salicylate (mM). At a concentration of 0.5 mM, 2,4-dinitrophenol stimulated xylose uptake in freshly isolated muscle. Whereas the stimulatory effects of insulin, anoxia and salicylate all tended to plateau with time, the effect of 2,4-dinitrophenol tended to peak and then decline. 6. There was no obvious relationship between total muscle ATP levels and xylose uptake. The stimulatory effect of anoxia, 2,4-dinitrophenol or salicylate on xylose uptake was not preceded by the fall in muscle ATP. Similarly, ATP levels did not change when xylose uptake was stimulated by anoxia at 27 degrees C, or when xylose uptake was restored to basal values by transferring muscles from anaerobic to aerobic conditions. 7. It was argued that the presence of the myofibrils could act as a permeability barrier, which would limit the access of ATP produced within the interior of the cell to a regulatory site on, or close to, the sarcolemma. On the other hand, it is conceivable that the ATP produced on the periphery of the fibre by the subsarcolemmal mitochondria could play a more specific role in the feedback regulation of sugar transport. 8. Insulin stimulated xylose uptake in the presence of 2,4-dinitrophenol (0.5 mM) when this was measured in freshly isolated muscle, but not after a period of preincubation. This suggested that there may be some ATP-dependent process involved in the stimulatory effect of insulin.