[en] Equilibrium binding identified high affinity NBTI binding sites (K/sub D/ = 1-3 nM) on the MF's of L929, L1210, P388, S49 and CHO cells. High affinity NBTI binding sites are associated with the nucleoside transporter since none were present in a MF of a transport-deficient mutant of S49 cells (AE1). MF's of Novikoff cells, like intact Novikoff cells, also lacked high affinity NBTI binding sites. MF's of the cell lines were equilibrium labeled with [³H]NBTI using photoaffinity conditions and analyzed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Radioactivity was specifically incorporated covalently into a 50-70 Kd protein fraction, but the labeled proteins from CHO and L929 cells had a higher apparent molecular weight than those from S49 and P388 cells. In addition, in MF's from some cell lines lower molecular weight components became photoaffinity labeled. Maximum photoaffinity labeling of the MF proteins was observed with much higher [³H]NBTI concentrations (100-200 nM) than those saturating the nucleoside transporter. This finding is explained by a reduced affinity of the photoactivated NBTI intermediate(s) for the transporter. When detergent solubilized MF's from cultured cells were chromotographed on a DEAE cellulose column, only 5-10% of the protein, but practically all high affinity NBTI sites, were recovered in the flow through fraction