The neural-specific calmodulin-sensitive adenylyl cyclase (type I), which was first cloned from bovine brain, has been implicated in learning and memory. The objective of this study was to clone and determine the chromosomal localization of human fetal brain type I adenylyl cyclase. A 3.8-kb cDNA clone was isolated that contained sequence coinciding with the 3' end 2553 nucleotides of the bovine open reading frame. This clone shows 87% nucleotide and 92% translated amino acid sequence identity to the bovine clone. The most significant sequence differences were in the carboxy-terminal 100 amino acid residues. This region contains one of several possible calmodulin binding domains and the only putative cAMP-dependent protein kinase A phosphorylation site. A chimera was constructed that contained the 5' half of the bovine type I adenylyl cyclase and the 3' half of the human type I adenylyl cyclase. The activity of the chimeric gene product and its sensitivity to calmodulin and calcium were indistinguishable from those of the bovine type I adenylyl cyclase. In situ hybridization was used to localize the human type I adenylyl cyclase gene to the proximal portion of the short arm of chromosome 7.