The total amino acid sequence of rabbit muscle adenylate kinase has been determined, and the single polypeptide chain of 194 amino acid residues starts with N-acetylmethionine and ends with leucyllysine at its carboxyl terminus, in agreement with the earlier data on its amino acid composition [Mahowald, T. A., Noltmann, E. A., & Kuby, S. A. (1962) J. Biol. Chem. 237, 1138-1145] and its carboxyl-terminus sequence [Olson, O. E., & Kuby, S. A. (1964) J. Biol. Chem. 239, 460-467]. Elucidation of the primary structure was based on tryptic and chymotryptic cleavages of the performic acid oxidized protein, cyanogen bromide cleavages of the 14C-labeled S-carboxymethylated protein at its five methionine sites (followed by maleylation of peptide fragments), and tryptic cleavages at its 12 arginine sites of the maleylated 14C-labeled S-carboxymethylated protein. Calf muscle myokinase, whose sequence has also been established, differs primarily from the rabbit muscle myokinase's sequence in the following: His-30 is replaced by Gln-30; Lys-56 is replaced by Met-56; Ala-84 and Asp 85 are replaced by Val-84 and Asn-85. A comparison of the four muscle-type adenylate kinases, whose covalent structures have now been determined, viz., rabbit, calf, porcine, and human [for the latter two sequences see Heil, A., Müller, G., Noda, L., Pinder, T., Schirmer, H., Schirmer, I., & Von Zabern, I. (1974) Eur. J. Biochem. 43, 131-144, and Von Zabern, I., Wittmann-Liebold, B., Untucht-Grau, R., Schirmer, R. H., & Pai, E. F. (1976) Eur. J. Biochem. 68, 281-290], demonstrates an extraordinary degree of homology.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)