The myc family of genes plays an important role in several cellular processes including proliferation, apoptosis, di erentiation, and transformation. B-myc, a relatively new and largely unstudied member of the myc family, encodes a protein that is highly homologous to the N-terminal transcriptional regulatory domain of cMyc. Here, we show that high level B-myc expression is restricted to speci®c mouse tissues, primarily hormonally-controlled tissues, with the highest level of expression in the epididymis. We also report the identi®cation of the endogenous B-Myc protein from mouse tissues. Like other Myc family proteins, B-Myc is a short-lived nuclear protein which is phosphorylated on residues Ser-60 and Ser-68. Rapid proteolysis of B-Myc occurs via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Finally, we found that overexpression of B-Myc signi®cantly slows the growth of Rat 1a ®broblasts and COS cells suggesting B-Myc functions as an inhibitor of cellular proliferation.