The leucocyte NADPH oxidase of neutrophils is a membrane-bound enzyme that catalyses the reduction of oxygen to O(-)(2) at the expense of NADPH. The enzyme is dormant in resting neutrophils but becomes active when the cells are exposed to the appropriate stimuli. During oxidase activation, the highly basic cytosolic oxidase component p47(phox) becomes phosphorylated on several serines and migrates to the plasma membrane. Protein kinase CK2 is an essential serine/threonine kinase present in all eukaryotic organisms. The leucocyte NADPH oxidase subunit p47(phox) has several putative CK2 phosphorylation sites. In the present study, we report that CK2 is able to catalyse the phosphorylation of p47(phox) in vitro. Phosphoamino acid analysis of phosphorylated p47(phox) by CK2 indicated that the phosphorylation occurs on serine residues. CNBr mapping and phosphorylation of peptides containing the putative site of CK2 indicated that the main phosphorylated residues are Ser-208 and Ser-283 in the Src homology 3 (SH3) domains, and Ser-348 in the C-terminal domain of p47(phox). Dependence of phosphorylation on the conformation of p47(phox) is supported by the finding that p47(phox) undergoes better phosphorylation by CK2 in the presence of arachidonic acid, a known activator of NADPH oxidase which induces conformational changes in p47(phox). In addition, 5,6-dichloro-1-beta-o-ribofuranosyl benzimidazole, a CK2 inhibitor, potentiates formyl-Met-Leu-Phe-induced NADPH oxidase activity in DMSO-differentiated HL-60 cells. Taken together, we propose that CK2 is the p47(phox) kinase, and that phosphorylation of p47(phox) by CK2 regulates the deactivation of NADPH oxidase.