The gene for P-selectin glycoprotein ligand (PSGL-1) has been cloned from a human placenta genomic DNA library. A single intron of approximately 9 kilobases was found in the 5'-untranslated region and the complete coding region resides in exon 2. The genomic clone differs from the cDNA clone isolated from HL-60 cells in that it encodes an extra copy of the decameric repeat located in the extracellular domain of PSGL-1. Further analysis indicated that the PSGL-1 genes of HL-60 and U-937 cells contain 15 repeats, whereas the PSGL-1 genes of polymorphonuclear leukocytes, monocytes, and several other cell lines contain 16 repeats. Transfection experiments did not indicate a functional difference between these two variants of PSGL-1. The two previously observed PSGL-1 mRNA species of 2.5 and 4 kilobases most likely arise from differential utilization of polyadenylation signal sequences. The organization of the PSGL-1 gene closely resembles those of CD43 and human platelet glycoprotein GPIb alpha, both of which have an intron in the 5'-noncoding region, a long second exon containing the complete coding region, and TATA-less promoters. The gene for human PSGL-1, which has been designated SELPLG by the Human Gene Nomenclature Committee, was mapped to chromosome 12q24 using Southern blot analysis of DNA from a set of human-mouse cell hybrids, and fluorescent in situ hybridization on metaphase chromosome spreads.