A cDNA clone designated pPDC-1 was isolated from a cDNA library prepared against poly(A+)RNA isolated from the human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell line, Capan-2. The cDNA corresponds to a 1.7-kilobase mRNA that is expressed at higher levels in seven of nine pancreatic tumors than in their corresponding normal tissues. It is also expressed in normal human kidney, intestine, pancreas, stomach, placenta, lung, brain, spleen, and liver. A computer search of the Intelligenetics System of all available nucleotide sequences revealed a 60% homology between the nucleotide sequence of the pPDC-1 cDNA and that of elongation factor-1 gamma from Artemia. The deduced amino acid sequence shared 53% identity with the amino acid sequence for the Artemia elongation factor-1 gamma.