The present invention provides compositions and methods for regulating expression of nucleotide sequences in a plant. Compositions are novel nucleotide sequences for a tissue preferred promoter isolated from the sorghum .alpha.-kafirin coding region or from the sorghum .beta.-kafirin coding region. The sequences drive expression preferentially to endosperm tissue. A method for expressing a nucleotide sequence in a plant using the regulatory sequences disclosed herein is provided. The method comprises transforming a plant cell to comprise a nucleotide sequence operably linked to one or more of the regulatory sequences of the present invention and regenerating a stably transformed plant from the transformed plant cell.