Galanin is a neuroendocrine peptide that modulates many different normal physiological effects including memory, weight, and pain perception. To better understand galanin receptor function, we cloned and characterized the galanin-1 receptor (GALN1R) gene isolated from a human P1 library. We determined that this gene contains 2 introns of approximately 2.1 and 2.9 Kb, both of which are located in the 3rd intracellular loop. We identified transcriptional initiation sites 61 and 63 bp upstream of the translation initiation codon ATG. Sequencing of the GALN1R gene 5' flanking region revealed it to be GC rich and devoid of TATA or CCAAT boxes, features of housekeeping genes. To identify potential sites regulating promoter activity, variable lengths of the 5' flanking region were fused to a CAT gene and studied in Bowes human melanoma cells. Significant losses in CAT activity were observed only with the elimination of 2 NF-kappa B sites, located -269 and -809 bp upstream from the translational start site, respectively. These findings suggest the novel possibility that GALN1R gene expression may be regulated as a consequence of inflammatory conditions. Finally fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) assigned this gene to chromosome 15q24.