The insulin receptor is associated with a protein kinase activity. This has been shown for the receptor of liver, fat, and some other tissues which are not primary targets of insulin action. Here kinase activity is demonstrated for the insulin receptor of rat skeletal and cardiac muscle with similar characteristics. Insulin (10(-7) mol/l) stimulates phosphorylation of the 95-kDa receptor subunit 3- to 18-fold. The effect is detectable at 10(-10) mol/l insulin; the ED50 is approx. 3 X 10(-9) mol/l. The kinase phosphorylates exogenous substrate as well, and it is recovered after immunoprecipitation of the receptor with antireceptor antibody suggesting that kinase activity is intrinsic to the muscle receptor.