PLACE (http://www.dna.affrc.go.jp/htdocs/PLACE/) is a database of motifs found in plant cis -acting regulatory DNA elements, all from previously published reports. It covers vascular plants only. In addition to the motifs originally reported, their variations in other genes or in other plant species reported later are also compiled. The PLACE database also contains a brief description of each motif and relevant literature with PubMed ID numbers. This report summarizes the present status of this database and available tools.