Connexin (Cx) 45.6, an avian counterpart of rodent Cx50, is phosphorylated in vivo, but the sites and function of the phosphorylation have not been elucidated. Our peptide mapping experiments showed that the Ser 363 site in the carboxyl (COOH) terminus of Cx45.6 was phosphorylated and that this site is within casein kinase (CK) II consensus sequence, although showing some similarity to CKI sequence. The peptide containing Ser 363 could be phosphorylated in vitro by CKII, but not by CKI. Furthermore, CKII phosphorylated Cx45.6 in embryonic lens membrane and the fusion protein containing the COOH terminus of Cx45.6. Two-dimensional peptide mapping experiments showed that one of the Cx45.6 peptides phosphorylated in vivo migrated to the same spot as one of those phosphorylated by CKII in vitro. Furthermore, CKII activity could be detected in lens lysates. To assess the function of this phosphorylation event, exogenous wild type and mutant Cx45.6 (Ser 363 3 Ala) were expressed in lens primary cultures by retroviral infection. The mutant Cx45.6 was shown to be more stable having a longer half-life compared with wild type Cx45.6. Together, the evidence suggests that CKII is likely a kinase responsible for the Ser 363 phosphorylation, leading to the destablization and degradation of Cx45.6. The connexin degradation induced by phosphorylation has a broad functional significance in the regulation of gap junctions in vivo.Gap junctions are channels between two adjacent cells, which allow passage of small molecules (M r Յ 1000) such as small metabolites, ions, and second messengers. The gap junction-mediated cell-to-cell communications are important in maintaining cell and tissue functions (1). The structural components of gap junctions are members of a family of related membrane proteins called connexins, which consist of four conserved transmembrane domains and two extracellular loops, while their cytoplasmic regions are unique. The COOH terminus, the most variable region among connexins, contains several putative kinase consensus sequences. The phosphorylation of connexins has been indicated in the intracellular trafficking of connexins (2), channel assembly (3