Stromal cell derived factor-1 (SDF-1) is a member of the non-ELR subfamily of CXC chemokines. SDF-1 and its receptor, CXCR4, are essential for cardiogenesis, hematopoiesis, and vasculogenesis during embryonic development, in addition to involvement in chemotaxis of leukocyte subsets and endothelial cells. In order to study SDF-1 expression in a rat model of myocardial infarction, we cloned and functionally expressed the rat SDF-1α orthologue. Rat SDF-1α is highly conserved, with >95% identity to its known human, feline, and murine counterparts. Constitutive expression of SDF-1 mRNA was observed in heart, brain, liver, and kidney. Significantly, apart from the SDF-1α and β splice variants, expression of the recently identified SDF-1γ was uniquely abundant in the heart. SDF-1α mRNA was selectively induced in permanent coronary artery occlusion model of myocardial infarction in rat, while SDF-1γ remained unchanged. Such modulation of SDF-1α mRNA expression may be indicative of its role in the inflammatory events in cardiovascular disease.