Human intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), a transmembrane glycoprotein that functions as a ligand for lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1, plays an important role in mediating cell-cell interactions in inflammatory reactions. It is induced by proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1, tumor necrosis factor-alpha or interferon-gamma, as well as by phorbol esters, retinoic acid and lipopolysaccharide. Furthermore, ICAM-1 is upregulated by interleukin-6, which suggests that it belongs to the family of acute phase response genes. Investigation of the 5'-regulatory region of the human ICAM-1 gene revealed sequence motifs for a variety of transcription factors implicated in transcriptional regulation. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the transcriptional regulation of the human ICAM-1 gene.