Hel-N1 is a member of the highly conserved elav family of neuronal genes. It shares considerable sequence homology with HuD, another human member, and both genes are expressed in brain. HuD was recently mapped to chromosome 1p34. Here, we have utilized chromosome microdissection polymerase chain reaction and fluorescence in situ hybridization to map Hel-N1 to chromosome 9p21. The different chromosomal locations of these homologous genes underscore their distinct identities.