λ phage clones containing the murine Pax 8 gene were isolated from a C57BL/6 kidney genomic mouse library using mouse cDNA fragments as probes. A clone encompassing about 16 kb of the 5′ untranslated region of the murine Pax 8 gene was isolated from a mouse embryonic stem cell (D3) library. The murine Pax 8 gene has a size of approximately 26 kb and contains the coding sequence for mRNA in 12 exons. The major and several minor transcription initiation sites were identified. Position +1 is located 488 nucleotides upstream of the ATG initiation codon and 24 bases downstream of a TATA-like sequence, ATAAAA. The translation initiation and termination sites are located in exons 2 and 12, respectively. Further analysis of 570 bases of the 5′ flanking sequence revealed AP2, SP1, PEA3, zeste, NF-κB, and CCAAT consensus binding sites. Ribonuclease protection assays with a probe spanning the first two exons of mouse Pax 8 cDNA on total RNA samples isolated from different tissues of newborn mice show that the murine Pax 8 gene is predominantly expressed in kidney tissue. Low levels of Pax 8 gene expression were also found in the liver, spleen, lung, brain, and heart. The same transcription initiation sites are utilized in different tissues of newborn mice and embryo at Day 10.5 postconception. A FISH assay shows that the murine Pax 8 gene is located on chromosome 2, map position B.