We have cloned and determined the entire nucleotide sequence of cDNAs corresponding to the putative alpha subunits of the human and rat mast cell high-affinity IgE receptors. Both human and rat cDNAs encode an NH2-terminal signal peptide, two immunoglobulin-like extracellular domains (encoded by discrete exons), a hydrophobic transmembrane region, and a positively charged cytoplasmic tail. The human and rat alpha subunits share an overall homology with one another and the immunoglobulin gene family, suggesting that they arose from a common ancestral gene and continue to share structural homology with their ligands. In addition, the rat gene is transcribed into at least three distinct forms, each of which yields a somewhat different coding sequence.