The interaction of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) with receptors on clonal-derived turkey satellite cells and embryonic myoblasts was compared using competitive binding assays and affinity cross-linking analysis. 2. Although [125I]IGF-I and [125I]IGF-II were displaced similarly by IGF-I and IGF-II within cell lines (P greater than 0.05), displacement, and therefore dissociation constants, differed between cell lines (P less than 0.0001). 3. Receptor cross-linking analysis using iodinated IGFs suggests that both IGF-I and IGF-II interact with the type I receptor on turkey embryonic and posthatch myogenic cells.