We have isolated and characterized cDNA clones for the gamma subunit of mouse muscle phosphorylase kinase (gamma-Phk). These clones were isolated from a lambda gt11 mouse muscle cDNA library via screening with a synthetic oligonucleotide probe corresponding to a portion of the rabbit gamma-Phk amino acid sequence. The gamma-Phk cDNA clones code for a 387-amino acid protein that shares 93% amino acid sequence identity with the corresponding rabbit amino acid sequence. RNA gel blot analysis reveals that the muscle gamma-Phk probe hybridizes to two mRNA species (2.4 and 1.6 kilobases) in skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and brain, but does not hybridize to liver RNA. Phk-deficient I-strain (Phk) mouse muscle contains reduced levels of gamma-Phk mRNA as compared with control mice. Although the Phk defect is an X-linked recessive trait, hybridization to a human-rodent somatic cell hybrid mapping panel shows that the gamma-Phk gene is not located on the X chromosome. Rather, the gamma-Phk cross-hybridizing human restriction fragments map to human chromosomes 7 (multiple) and 11 (single). Reduced gamma-Phk mRNA in I-strain mice, therefore, appears to be a consequence of the Phk-mutant trait and does not stem from a mutant gamma-subunit gene.