The regulatory (RI,) subunit of type-I1 cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase from bovine heart is phosphorylated at a significant rate in vitro by glycogen synthase kinase 3 and glycogen synthase 5, but not by glycogen synthase kinase 4 or phosphorylase kinase. The regulatory (RI) subunit of type-I cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase from rabbit skeletal muscle is not phosphorylated by any of these four protein kinases.Glycogen synthase kinase 3 phosphorylates two serine residues on the R~I subunit located 44 and 47 amino acids from the N terminus of the polypeptide chain. Glycogen synthase kinase 5 phosphorylates serine-74 and serine-76. These sites are distinct from the residue phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cyclic-AMPdependent protein kinase (serine-95).The Rll subunit, as normally isolated, contains 1.5-1.8 mol alkali-labile phosphate per subunit. At least 80 % of this phosphate (z 1.3 mol/subunit) is located in the thermolytic peptide containing serine-74 and serine-76, demonstrating that phosphorylation of the RII subunit by glycogen synthase kinase 5 occurs in vivo.Only small amounts of phosphate (z 0.1 mol/subunit) are associated with the thermolytic peptides containing serine-44/serine-47 and serine-95. The phosphorylation sites on the RIr subunit are organised in a strikingly similar manner to those of glycogen synthase, the amino acid sequences in the immediate vicinity of the phosphorylation sites showing a particular resemblance. These include the presence of a number of proline residues near the sites phosphorylated by glycogen synthase kinase 3, five consecutive acidic residues C-terminal to the sites phosphorylated by glycogen synthase kinase 5, and two adjacent arginine residues just N-terminal to the sites phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase.Glycogen synthase kinase 5 is very similar or identical to the enzyme that has been variously termed casein kinase TS, casein kinase 2, casein kinase G, casein kinase N-I1 or troponin-T kinase. The biological role of this enzyme is reviewed.