We used restriction endonuclease digestion of leukocyte DNA to assess the structural integrity of an N-acetylglucosamine beta 1----4 galactosyltransferase (GalTase)-associated (GTA) protein kinase gene in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. This analysis provides evidence that the gross structure of the GTA protein kinase gene locus remains intact in patients with defective galactosylation and that this gene locus is polymorphic both in normal individuals and in patients with RA, although no polymorphisms unique to RA patients were observed. Initial data on the expression of this gene indicate that comparable levels of GTA protein kinase messenger RNA are present in the lymphocytes of normal individuals and RA patients, irrespective of whether lymphocytes were obtained from patients with decreased or normal levels of galactosylation.