The intracellular localization of merocyanine 540 (MC540), a photosensitizer commonly used in the photo-inactivation of leukemia cells, was studied using confocal laser scanning microscopy. It was found for the first time that MC540 not only localized in the plasma membrane but also in the cytoplasm and the nuclear membrane of the murine myeloid leukemia M1 and WEHI 3B (JCS) cells. Exposure of MC540 treated leukemia cells to light under conditions that could cause photobleaching did not cause the redistribution of cell-bound MC540. Rapid localization of MC540 in the cytoplasm was observed 5 minutes after exposure of leukemia cell to MC540, indicating that MC540 could promptly be internalized by these two leukemia cell lines. In contrast, localization of MC540 was limited only to the plasma membrane of erythrocytes. These results suggest that the binding pattern of MC540 is cell type dependent and may be related to the efficacy of photosenitization in photodynamic therapy.