The syntheses of a protein kinase C (PKC) peptide substrate, H-Lys-Arg-Thr-Leu-Arg-OH, and a phosphopeptide analog of the synthetic substrate, H-Lys-Arg-Thr(P)-Leu-Arg-OH, are reported. PKC phosphorylates the peptide with an apparent KM of 0.30 +/- 0.04 mM and an apparent Vmax equal to one-tenth that of histone III-S. The synthesis of the phosphopeptide features a recently developed convenient phosphorylation procedure for serine and threonine using N,N-diethylamino-dibenzylphosphoramidite. A complete characterization of the PKC substrate and its corresponding phosphopeptide by C-H COSY 2D n.m.r. is included.