Cytoplasmic dynein is a multisubunit, microtubule-dependent motor enzyme that has been proposed to function in a variety of intracellular movements. As part of an effort to understand the evolution and the biological roles of cytoplasmic dynein, we have identified the first non-metazoan dynein light chain 1, SLC1, in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The amino acid sequence of the SLC1 protein is similar to those of the human, Drosophila and Caenorhabditis cytoplasmic dynein light chains 1. The SLC1 gene lies adjacent to the YAP2 (= CAD1) transcription unit. The SLC1 coding sequence is split by two introns and its mRNA is detectable throughout the cell cycle. Tetrad analysis of heterozygotes harboring a TRP insertion in the SLC1 coding region indicate that SLC1 function is not essential for cell viability. Furthermore, we demonstrate that double mutants, defective for SLC1 and the kinesin-related CIN8 genes are non-lethal. The redundancy of SLC1 function in yeast contrasts with the cell death caused by loss-of-function mutations in the dynein light chain 1 gene in Drosophila melanogaster.