Somatostatin receptor (SSTR) subtype genes are differentially expressed in brain and various peripheral tissues. RNA blotting and semiquantitative PCR analyses have revealed low levels of SSTR1 mRNA in the gastrointestinal tract and relatively high levels in GH₃ anterior pituitary cells. As a first step in the investigation of the regulation of SSTR1 gene expression, we isolated a genomic fragment that contains the promoter region and determined the transcriptional initiation site. The SSTR1 gene lacks introns and TATA and CAAT motifs, but possesses several consensus recognition sequences for the transcription factors GCF and AP-2. The presence, also, of two Pit-1 binding sites could explain the high SSTR1 mRNA levels in GH₃ cells.