The cloning of the cDNA for the alpha 1 subunit of L-type calcium channels revealed that at least two genes (CaCh1 and CaCh2) exist which give rise to several splice variants. The expression of mRNA for these alpha 1 subunits and the skeletal muscle alpha 2/delta, beta and gamma subunits was studied in rabbit tissues and BC3H1 cells. Nucleic-acid-hybridization studies showed that the mRNA of all subunits are expressed in skeletal muscle, brain, heart and aorta. However, the alpha 1-, beta- and gamma-specific transcripts had different sizes in these tissues. Smooth muscle and heart contain different splice variants of the CaCh2 gene. The alpha 1, beta and gamma mRNA are expressed together in differentiated but not in proliferating BC3H1 cells. A probe specific for the skeletal muscle alpha 2/delta subunit did not hybridize to poly(A)-rich RNA from BC3H1 cells. These results suggest that different splice variants of the genes for the alpha 1, beta and gamma subunits exist in tissues containing L-type calcium channels, and that their expression is regulated in a coordinate manner.