The study of chemoattractant receptors on human monocytes had been limited by the lack of a radioligand suitable for use with the small numbers of cells routinely available from human donors. A new synthetic oligopeptide radioligand f[35S]met-leu-phe, with a higher specific radioactivity than was available with the tritiated compound, was used to characterize a chemoattractant receptor on freshly isolated human blood monocytes. These cells bind f[35S]met-leu-phe with a dissociation constant (KD) of 30.2 +/- 5.6 nM and contain 84,000 +/- 11,300 receptors per cell. f[35S]met-leu-phe does not bind specifically to blood lymphocytes. The specificity of the oligopeptide receptor on monocytes is indistinguishable from the oligopeptide chemoattractant receptor on human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Using f[35S]met-leu-phe, it will now be feasible to study the chemotactic peptide receptor on small numbers of partially purified peripheral blood monocytes from patients with defects of immune function.