Promoters and genes isolated from genomic DNA of strawberry plants are disclosed. Both the promoters and genes are capable of tissue-specific expression in transgenic plants. A plant promoter that is a nucleic acid region located upstream of the 5' end of a plant DNA structural coding sequence that is transcribed at high levels in ripening fruit tissue. This promoter region is capable of conferring high levels of transcription in ripening fruit tissue and in developing seed tissues when used as a promoter for a heterologous coding sequence in a chimeric gene. The promoter and any chimeric gene in which it may be used can be used to obtain transformed plants or plant cells. A DNA coding sequence that codes for a gene that is highly transcribed in ripening fruit tissue of Fragaria X ananassa. This coding sequence can be used to obtain a cDNA probe useful in obtaining analogous promoters from a homologous coding sequence in other plant species. Chimeric genes including the isolated promoter region, transformed plants containing the isolated promoter region, transformed plant cells and seeds are also disclosed.
