We sequenced the 5'-coding region of the human c-src gene, exons 2 through 5, corresponding to one-third of the human c-src protein consisting of 536 amino acids. Sequence analysis of the src type of protein kinases revealed that the amino-terminal region encoded by exon 2 contains sequences specific for the src proteins and raised the possibility that this region is involved in the recognition of a src-specific substrate(s) or receptor(s).