The nature of protein phosphatases that are active against the phosphorylated proteins of glycogen metabolism was investigated in rabbit skeletal muscle and liver. Six 32P-labelled substrates corresponding to the major phosphorylation sites on glycogen phosphorylase, phosphorylase kinase, glycogen synthase and inhibitor-I were used in these studies. The results showed that the four protein phosphatases defined in the preceding paper, namely protein phosphatases-I, 2A, 2B and 2C [Ingebritsen, T. S. and Cohen, P. (1983) Eur. J. Biochem. 232, 255-2611 were the only significant enzymes acting on these substrates. The four enzymes can be conveniently separated and identified by a combination of ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration and by the use of specific inhibitors.Three species of protein phosphatase-2A were resolved on DEAE-cellulose, termed protein phosphatases-2Ao (0.12 M NaCI), 2A1 (0.2 M NaCI) and 2Az (0.28 M NaCI) that had apparent molecular weights of 210000, 210000 and 150000 respectively. Protein phosphatase-2Ao was a completely inactive enzyme whose activity was only expressed after dissociation to a 34000-M,,,,,, catalytic subunit by freezing and thawing in 0.2 M 2-mercaptoethanol. This treatment also dissociated protein phosphatases 2A1 and 2Az to more active 34000-Mr~,,,~ catalytic subunits. The catalytic subunits derived from protein phosphatases-2Ao, 2A1 and 2Az possessed identical substrate specificities, preferentially dephosphorylated the r-subunit of phosphorylase kinase, were unaffected by inhibitor-I and inhibitor-2 and were inhibited by similar concentrations of ATP. The properties of protein phosphatases-2Al and 2Az were very similar to those of the catalytic subunits, except that they were less sensitive to inhibition by ATP.Protein phosphatase-2B was eluted from DEAE-cellulose in the same fraction as protein phosphatase-2Ao. These activities were resolved by gel filtration, the Mr(app) of protein phosphatase-2B being 98 000. Protein phosphatase-2B was completely inhibited by 100 pM trifluoperazine, which did not affect the activity of protein phosphatase-2Ao or any other protein phosphatase. Freezing and thawing in 0.2 M 2-mercaptoethanol resulted in partial inactivation of protein phosphatase-2B.Protein phosphatase-2C was eluted from DEAE-cellulose at the leading edge of the peak of protein phosphatase-2Al. These activities were completely resolved by gel filtration, since the Mr(,,,) of protein phosphatase-2C was 46000.Two forms of protein phosphatase-1 can be identified by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, namely protein phosphatase-1 itself and the Mg . ATP-dependent protein phosphatase. Both these species were eluted at 0.16 M NaCl just ahead of protein phosphatases-2C and 2Al. These enzymes did not interfere with measurements of type-2 protein phosphatases, since it was possible to block their activity with inhibitor-2.Most, if not all, of the protein phosphatases described in the literature as enzymes active on the phosphorylated proteins of glycogen metabolism can now b...