The mouse 90-kDa heat shock protein (HSP90) and Ca(2+)-calmodulin were cross-linked at an equimolar ratio using a carbodiimide zero-length cross-linker. To identify the calmodulin-binding domain(s) of HSP90, CNBr-cleaved peptide fragments of HSP90 were mixed with Ca(2+)-calmodulin and cross-linked. Amino acid sequence determination revealed that an HSP90 alpha-derived peptide starting at the 486th amino acid residue was contained in the cross-linked products, which contains a calmodulin-binding motif (from Lys500 to Ile520). A similar motif is present also in HSP90 beta (from Lys491 to Val511). The synthetic peptides corresponding to these putative calmodulin-binding sequences were found to be cross-linked with Ca(2+)-calmodulin and to prevent the cross-linking of HSP90 and Ca(2+)-calmodulin. Both HSP90 alpha and HSP90 beta bind Ca2+. The HSP90 peptides bind HSP90 and thereby inhibit the binding of Ca2+. In addition, the HSP90 peptides augment the self-oligomerization of HSP90 induced at elevated temperatures. These results suggest that the calmodulin-binding domain of HSP90 might interact with another part of the same molecule and that Ca(2+)-calmodulin might modulate the structure and function of HSP90 through abolishing the intramolecular interaction.