The ADP-ribosylation site of histone H1 from calf thymus by purified hen liver nuclear ADP-ribosyltransferase was determined and effects of the ADP-ribose X histone-H1 adduct on cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of the histone H1 were investigated. ADP-ribosylated histone H1 was prepared by incubation of histone H1, 1 mM [adenylate-32P]NAD and the purified ADP-ribosyltransferase. N-Bromosuccinimide-directed bisection of ADP-ribosylated histone H1 showed that the NH2-terminal fragment (Mr = 6000) was modified and contained serine residue 38, the site of phosphorylation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Digestion of the NH2-terminal fragment with cathepsin D and trypsin, and purification of this fragment, using high-performance liquid chromatography, yielded a radiolabelled single peptide corresponding to residues 29-34 of histone H1, containing the arginine residue as the ADP-ribosylation site. These results indicate that ADP-ribosylation of histone H1 occurs at the arginine residue 34, sequenced at the NH2-terminal side of the phosphate-accepting serine residue 38. Phosphorylation of histone H1 from calf thymus by cAMP-dependent protein kinase was markedly reduced when histone H1 was ADP-ribosylated. Kinetic studies of phosphorylation revealed that ADP-ribosylated histone H1 was a linear competitive inhibitor of histone H1 and a linear non-competitive inhibitor of ATP.