Breast cancer-specific gene 1 (BCSG1), also referred as synuclein y, was originally isolated from a human breast cancer cDNA library and the protein is mainly localized to presynaptic terminals in the nervous system. BCSG1 is not expressed in normal or benign breast lesions, but expressed at an extremely high level in the vast majority of the advanced staged breast carcinomas and ovarian carcinomas. Overexpression of BCSG1 in cancer cells led to significant increase in cell proliferation, motility and invasiveness, and metastasis. To elucidate the molecular mechanism and regulation for abnormal transcription of BCSG1, a variety of BCSG1 promoter luciferase reporters were constructed including 3' end deleted sequences, Sp1 deleted, and activator protein-1 (AP1) domains mutated. Transient transfection assay was used to detect the transcriptional activation of BCSG1 promoters. Results showed that the Sp1 sequence in 5'-flanking region was involved in the basal transcriptional activities of BCSG1 without cell-type specificity. In comparison to pGL3-1249, the reporter activities of pGL3-1553 in BCSG1-negative MCF-7 cells and pGL3-1759 in HepG2 cells were notably decreased. Mutations at AP1 sites in BCSG1 intron 1 significantly reduced the promoter activity in all cell lines. Transcription factors, c-jun, c-fos and cyclin AMP-responsive element binding (CREB) protein, could markedly enhance the promoter activities. Thus, our results suggest that the abnormal expression of BCSG1 in breast cancer cells is likely regulated by multiple mechanisms. The 5' flanking region of BCSG1 provides the basal transcriptional activity without cell type specificity. A critical promoter element involved in abnormal expression of BCSG1 presents in the first exon. The cell type specificity of BCSG1 transcription is probably affected through intronic cis-regulatory sequences. AP1 domains in the first intron play an important role in control of BCSG1 transcription.