Complementary DNAs spanning the entire coding region of the rat parathyroid hormone/parathyroid hormone-related peptide receptor (PTHR) were isolated from a rat osteosarcoma (UMR 106) cell-line cDNA library. The longest of these clones (rPTHrec4) was used to chromosomally assign the PTHR gene in the human, rat, and mouse genomes. By somatic cell hybrid analysis, the gene was localized to human chromosome 3 and rat chromosome 8; by in situ hybridization, the gene was mapped to human chromosome 3p21.1-p22 and to mouse chromosome 9 band F; and by interspecific backcross analysis, the Pthr gene segregated with the transferrin (Trf) gene in chromosome 9 band F. Mouse chromosome 9 and rat chromosome 8 are known to be highly homologous and to also show synteny conservation with human chromosome 3. These three chromosomes share the transferrin gene (TF), the myosin light polypeptide 3 gene (MYL3), and the acylpeptide hydrolase gene (APEH). Our results add a fourth gene, the PTHR gene, to the synteny group conserved in these chromosomes.