The 58-kDa inhibitor (p58) of the interferon-induced dsRNA-activated protein kinase (PKR) is a cellular protein recruited by the influenza virus to down-regulate the activity of PKR during virus infection. The inhibitor also appears to play a role in the regulation of cellular gene expression in the absence of viral infection and has oncogenic properties when overexpressed. Using fluorescencein situhybridization, we have mapped the p58 gene (PRKRI) to human chromosome 13 band q32. Aberrations in the structure or number of chromosome 13 have been identified in a variety of human cancers, particularly in acute leukemia.