Previous in vivo studies have demonstrated that small galactose-exposing particles are preferentially internalized by the asialoglycoprotein receptor on the parenchymal liver cell and large particles by the galactose-particle receptor on the Kupffer cell. In this study, we have investigated using in vitro binding studies whether the affinity for either receptor is affected by the ligand size. The asialoglycoprotein receptor appeared to bind and process lactosylated proteins irrespective of their size. In contrast, recognition of galactose-exposing proteins by the galactose-particle receptor on the Kupffer cell was strongly dependent on size. The affinity increased 3000-fold with protein sizes increasing from 5 to 15 nm, reaching its maximum at approx. 1 nM for ligands larger than 15 nm. Apparently, the preferential in vivo uptake of large galactose-exposing ligands by Kupffer cells does not result from an inability of the parenchymal liver cells to internalize these ligands, but from the high affinity of large ligands for the galactose-particle receptor and the strategic anatomical localization of the Kupffer cells in the liver. In the preceding paper [Kuiper, Bakkeren, Biessen and Van Berkel (1994) Biochem. J. 299, 285-290] the galactose-particle receptor on the Kupffer cell was suggested to be identical with the fucose receptor. 125I-Lac-LDL-binding studies clearly showed that the galactose-particle receptor exhibited high-affinity binding of fucose-exposing proteins also. The affinity of fucosylated proteins for the galactose-particle receptor was greatly affected by ligand size. The above data strongly support the hypothesis that the galactose-particle receptor is identical with the fucose receptor. The size of neoglycoproteins can be appreciated as a new major determinant of affinity for the fucose receptor.