A synthetic heptadecapeptide corresponding to part of the NH2-terminal 17 residues of chicken gizzard myosin light chain (Mr = 20,000), Ser-Ser-Lys-Thr-Thr-Lys-Arg-Pro-Gln-Arg-Ala-Thr-Ser-(P)-Asn-Val-Phe-Ser-NH2, was readily phosphorylated by the myosin light chain kinase isolated from the same tissue. The synthetic peptide was phosphorylated stoichiometrically at serine 13, the same residue phosphorylated in the parent protein. The apparent Km and Vmax for peptide phosphorylation was 90 microM and 1.3 mumol min-1 mg-1 compared to 10 microM and 22 mumol min-1 mg-1, respectively, for the myosin light chain. The synthetic heptadecapeptide acted as a competitive inhibitor for myosin light chain phosphorylation with Ki approximately 600 microM. Acetylation of the heptadecapeptide alpha-amino group of serine 1 had little effect on Vmax (0.8 mumol min-1 mg-1) and increased the apparent Km 2-fold. The smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase did not phosphorylate the synthetic heptadecapeptide analog of the corresponding skeletal muscle myosin light chain (Mr = 18,500), nor did it phosphorylate synthetic peptide substrates specific for the cAMP-dependent protein kinase or phosphorylase b kinase. These findings support the idea that the myosin light chain kinase has particular protein substrate specificity requirements and that some of these are derived from the region of primary structure around the phosphorylation site in its native substrate.