We have cloned and characterized cDNA clones representing several mRNA isoforms generated by alternative splicing of a single gene localized to chromosome 17q22. Sequence analysis showed that the predicted translational product of the longest open reading frame (2316 nucleotides, 772 amino acids) is related to transcription factors of the basic leucine zipper (bZIP) class. The sequence contained several regions characteristic of transcriptional regulatory domains. A cluster of amino acids flanking the bZIP region on both sides was highly conserved between TCF11 and p45 NF-E2, a subunit of the human globin locus control region-binding protein, NF-E2. These same regions showed remarkable homology to two invertebrate proteins, CNC and skin-1, postulated to regulate embryonic development in Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans, respectively.