In the previous study [Sato et al. (1995) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 210, 844-851], we found that c-Src was associated with epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor and activated upon EGF treatment in A431 cells. In the present study, we investigated the phosphorylation of EGF receptor by c-Src in the c-Src-EGF receptor complex. We have focused our attention to tyrosine residue 845 (Y845) of EGF receptor as a candidate for the phosphorylation site. A synthetic peptide containing Y845, named Y845 peptide, which corresponds to residue 837 to 856 of EGF receptor, was found to be phosphorylated by c-Src and used to provide the standard phosphopeptide. In addition to the autophosphorylated peptide of 25 kDa, a phosphopeptide of 7 kDa was detected in the cyanogen bromide-digested fragments of the c-Src-associated EGF receptor phosphorylated in vitro in an EGF-dependent manner. In phosphopeptide mapping, tryptic digest of the 7-kDa phosphopeptide was shown to co-migrate with that of the phosphorylated Y845 peptide. The 7-kDa phosphopeptide was found to be phosphorylated exclusively on tyrosine. These results suggest that c-Src can phosphorylate EGF receptor on Y845 in an EGF-dependent manner. Furthermore, we confirmed that the same site of the c-Src-associated EGF receptor was phosphorylated in EGF-treated A431 cells.