Binding of [125I]glucagon was measured in microdissected pieces of tubules from the rat nephron. Specific glucagon binding sites were found only in nephron segments containing a glucagon-sensitive adenylate cyclase activity. At 7.5 nM labelled hormone, higher levels of specific binding (16-27 X 10(-18) mol mm-1) were found in the thick ascending limb of the Henle's loop and in the distal convoluted tubule and lower binding levels (2-5 X 10(-18) mol mm-1) in the collecting tubule whereas specific binding could not be detected in the proximal tubule and in the thin segments of the Henle's loop. In the medullary thick ascending limb, Scatchard analysis of specific [125I]glucagon binding indicated an apparent equilibrium dissociation constant of 2.4 nM. The stereospecificity of binding sites in medullary thick ascending limbs and medullary collecting tubules, was assessed by competition experiments using unlabelled glucagon, enteroglucagon and unrelated hormones (vasopressin, calcitonin, parathyroid hormone and insulin); in both segments, glucagon was more active than enteroglucagon in displacing labelled glucagon from its tubular binding sites, whereas all other hormones tested were inactive. These results indicate that tubule binding sites might be the physiological receptors for glucagon involved in adenylate cyclase activation.