We previously reported the identity and purification of two HDL 3 -binding proteins in rat liver plasma membranes. As these proteins are candidate high density lipoprotein (HDL) receptors and probably multifunctional, including a role in HDL metabolism, we have considerable interest in identifying corresponding proteins that are present in human tissue. This report describes the identification of HDL 3 -binding sites on human monocytes with the use of fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry assay. After the incubation of mononuclear cells from human blood with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled human HDL 3 , fluorescence micrographs showed dense signals of fluorescent grains on monocytes, but not lymphocytes. A significant increase in FITC intensity on monocytes, but not lymphocytes, was observed by flow cytometry analysis, and the interaction between FITC-HDL 3 and human monocytes was concentration-dependent. Although very low density (VLDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) were ineffective competitors and HDL 2 only partially competed for binding, a 50-fold concentration of HDL 3 did compete effectively for binding of FITC-HDL 3 to human monocytes. Trypsin treatment reduced the FITC intensity of monocytes, showing that a portion of cell-associated FITC-HDL 3 remained bound to the cell surface. Two major HDL-binding proteins were identified in CHAPS-solubilized human mononuclear cells by ligand blotting, using HDL 3 as the ligand. Both showed similar binding parameters, specificity, and molecular weight identical to HB 1 and HB 2 from rat liver plasma membrane. We conclude that corresponding candidate HDL receptors or a similar receptor complex also exist on human blood monocytes. -Hidaka, H., E. Hidaka, M. Tozuka, J. Nakayama, T. Katsuyama, and N. Fidge. Identification of specific high density lipoprotein 3 binding sites on human blood monocytes using fluorescence-labeled ligand.