Synaptic vesicle protein 2 (SV2) is a membrane glycoprotein specifically localized to secretory vesicles in neurons and endocrine cells. As a first step toward understanding the function of SV2 in neural secretion, a rat brain complementary DNA (cDNA) that encodes SV2 was isolated and characterized. Analyses of this cDNA predict that SV2 contains 12 transmembrane domains. The NH2-terminal half of the protein shows significant amino acid sequence identity to a family of bacterial proteins that transport sugars, citrate, and drugs. Expression of the SV2 cDNA in COS cells yielded a high level of SV2-like immunoreactivity distributed in a reticular and punctate pattern, which suggests localization to intracellular membranes. Its localization to vesicles, predicted membrane topology, and sequence identity to known transporters suggest that SV2 is a synaptic vesicle-specific transporter.