Phosphorylation of acid-soluble chromatin proteins from thymus or liver of calf, rabbit, pig, rat, rooster and trout by purified cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase was studied in vitro using acetic acid-urea slab gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. 2. HMG 14, histone H1 and an unknown band representing probably a proteolytic fragment of histone H1 were phosphorylated in all mammals studied. 3. In avian liver, HMG 14 showed no phosphorylation and histone H1 was replaced by a H1(0)/H5-like heavily phosphorylated protein. 4. The only 32P-acceptor in trout liver apparently belongs to the C/D-family of acid-soluble chromatin proteins. H6-protein was not phosphorylated.