A method is presented that has permitted a human genomic library to be screened for low-copy genes using 17-base synthetic oligonucleotides as probes. Parallel screening with two different 17-base probes permitted the unambiguous identification of clones containing interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) genes. The isolated human IFN-alpha genes were sequenced, and one appears to be IFN-alpha L; the other is one not previously described, which we have designated IFN-alpha WA. The IFN-alpha WA sequence differs from those of IFN-alpha genes A-L at approximately equal to 10% of the positions and is most similar to IFN-alpha C, -alpha F, and -alpha H. IFN-alpha WA has been found to encode amino acids that differ from those conserved at each of five positions in all previously reported IFN-alpha species. The IFN-alpha WA gene codes for an active interferon, which has been expressed in Escherichia coli using an M13-lacZ fusion as an expression vector. About 5 X 10(6) units of IFN-alpha WA were obtained per liter of bacterial culture. The described screening procedure using short probes should permit the isolation of genes for which sequence information is available from animal or plant genomic libraries.