Partial protein sequence data obtained on intestinal alkaline phosphatase indicated a high degree of homology with the reported sequence of the placental isoenzyme. Accordingly, placental alkaline phosphatase cDNA was cloned and used as a probe to clone intestinal alkaline phosphatase cDNA. The latter is somewhat larger (3.1 kilobases) than the cDNA for the placental isozyme (2.8 kilobases). Although the 3' untranslated regions are quite different, there is almost 90% homology in the translated regions of the two isozymes. There are, however, significant differences at their amino and carboxyl termini and a substitution of an alanine in intestinal alkaline phosphatase for a glycine in the active site of the placental isozyme.