A shoot-specific promoter was isolated in maize inbred line‘Zong 31’and was named as ZmSSP.By changing the CaMV35S promoter in pCAMBIA3301 into ZmSSP,a new plant expression vector pCAMBIA3301-ZmSSP-GUS was constructed,in which the reporter gene GUS was driven by ZmSSP.By Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated method,transgenic tobacco lines were obtained,in which reporter gene GUS expression patterns were analyzed.The results showed that ZmSSP had lower promoter activity than CaMV35S,and its pattern was quite different in different transgenic lines.Statistical data of 10 transgenic lines showed that the highest GUS expression level in tobacco appeared in petiole (2.71 times higher than that of Actin),and the following was in leaf and shoot.In root,very low GUS expression level was detected,which was 29.6 percent of that of Actin,and 10.9 percent of itself in petioles.The results indicate that ZmSSP is a good tissue-specific promoter in plant genetic engineering,suitable for trait improvement of underground vegetative organs.