[en] The authors have extensively purified a low molecular weight Ca²⁺, calmodulin-dependent protein kinase from rat brain cytosol. This kinase (M/sub r/ 120,000) is able to phosphorylate both native and soluble purified HMG-CoA reductase. The concomitant inactivation and phosphorylation of purified HMG-CoA reductase was completely dependent on Ca²⁺ and calmodulin. Incubation of phosphorylated ³²P-HMG-CoA reductase was associated with the loss of ³²P-radioactivity and reactivation of inactive enzyme. Maximal phosphorylation of purified HMG-CoA reductase involved the introduction of approximately 0.5 mol phosphate/53,000 enzyme fragment. The apparent Km for purified HMG-CoA reductase was .045 mg/ml. Microsomal native HMG-CoA reductase (M/sub r/ 100,000) was also phosphorylated and inactivated following incubation with calmodulin stimulated kinase, calmodulin, Ca²⁺ and Mg-ATP; dephosphorylation (reactivation) was catalyzed by the phosphoprotein phosphatase. The isolation and characterization of the M/sub r/ 120,000 calmodulin-binding enzyme complex provides additional insights into the mechanisms of the Ca²⁺ dependent regulation of HMG-CoA reductase phosphorylation. Based on these data and the authors previous in vitro and in vivo studies, they now propose that HMG-CoA reductase activity is modulated by three separate kinase systems