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Two phage lambda clones encompassing human tRNA genes have been isolated from a human gene library harbored in bacteriophage lambda Charon-UA. One of the clones (designated as hLeuU) containing a 20-kb human DNA fragment was isolated and found to contain a cluster of four tRNA genes. An 8.2-kb Hindlll fragment encompassing the four tRNA genes was isolated from the 20-kb fragment and subcloned into pBR322 for restriction mapping and DNA sequence analysis. The four tRNA genes are arranged as two tandem pairs with the first pair containing a proline tRNAAGQ gene and a leucine tRNAAAQ gene and the second pair containing another proline tRNAAGG gene and a threonine tRNAuQU gene. The two pairs are separated about 3 kb from each other, and the leucine tRNAAAG gene is of opposite polarity from the other three tRNA genes. The tRNA transcription units were sequenced by a unidirectional deletion dideoxyribonucleotide chain-termination method in the M13mpl8 and 19 vectors. The coding regions of the four tRNA genes contain characteristic internal split promoter sequences and do not encode intervening sequences nor the CCA trinucleotide found in mature tRNAs. The proline t R N A A G G gene is separated from the leucine t R N A A A Q gene by a 725-bp intergenic region and the second proline t R N A A G Q is 315 bp downstream of the threonine t R N A U G U gene. The coding sequences of the two proline tRNA genes are identical. The 3'-flanking regions near the 3*-ends of these four tRNA genes have typical RNA polymerase III termination sites of at least four c o n s e c u t i v e T nt. There is no homology between the 5'-flanking regions of these genes. All four tRNA genes are potentially functional, since they are transcribed by RNA polymerase III in an in vitro HeLa cell extract. Another phage lambda clone (designated as XhLeu8) was also found to contain four tRNA genes. One of the tRNA genes was characterized by DNA sequencing. The tRNA gene has an anticodon for leucine, but has three base substitutions from the leucine tRNA^A G and the leucine tRNAAAQ gene of AhLPT, occurring in the D-stem, D-loop and T-loop regions. The substitution in the T-loop is a C to T transition at an otherwise invariant position of the consensus sequence, 5'-GTTC-3'» within the B-block of the internal split promotor. Thus, this gene may more properly be classified as a leucine tRNA pseudogene.