The present invention provides a nucleic acid molecule isolated from the 5′ untranscribed region of a translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) gene from Arabidopsis. The nucleic acid molecule, referred to as TCTP promoter in the present invention, directs the high-level expression of a reporter gene that is properly placed under its control. The TCTP promoter initiates and regulates the gene expression to a level that is comparable to those by the currently available promoters in plant genetic engineering. A minimum of 300-bp region is enough for fill regulatory activity. The TCTP promoter is functional in all plant tissues tested with the highest activity in the meristem tissue of root tip. The present invention can be utilized to express useful genes to a high level in agronomically important plants.