A constitutional translocation t(3;8)(p14.2;q24.1) segregates concordantly with a familial form of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This translocation moves the MYC oncogene, located at 8q24.1, onto the short arm of chromosome 3. Chromosome rearrangements that break in or near MYC can result in altered expression of this gene and are thought to be a primary change leading to the transformed phenotype in certain neoplastic diseases, particularly Burkitt lymphoma. Possible rearrangements of this gene in familial RCC have so far not been detected using standard Southern blot analysis. We used pulsed field gel (PFG) analysis to construct a restriction map that covers a 1500-kb region surrounding MYC, including over 1000 kb to the 5' and 550 kb to the 3' side of this gene. The 5' end of MYC contains a cluster of cleavage sites for rare-cutting restriction endonucleases, indicating the presence of an HTF island. PFG analysis of DNA containing the t(3;8) rearrangement shows that the breakpoint is not located in the mapped region, making it unlikely that MYC is involved in this form of renal cell carcinoma. The map should facilitate study of other chromosome 8 rearrangements thought to break near MYC.