The human colon adenocarcinoma cell-line HT 29 has been shown to possess functional alpha 2-adrenergic receptors. Here, [3H] clonidine was used as radioligand to study the evolution of alpha 2-adrenergic receptivity during the time course of HT 29 cell culture. Scatchard analysis of the saturation curves indicates that the number of [3H]clonidine binding sites increases throughout the 17 day culture period. The maximal number of alpha 2-adrenoceptors is found during the stationary phase of growth, when cell density is high and mitotic rate low. Moreover, the use of adrenaline and clonidine as alpha 2-adrenergic agonists reveals a relationship between the number of receptors and the intensity of the biological effect associated with their stimulation (inhibition of the VIP-induced cyclic AMP accumulation).