The present invention relates to expression cassettes comprising transcription regulating nucleotide sequences with seed-preferential or seed-specific expression profiles in plants obtainable from a tonoplast intrinsic protein, said gene being selected from the group consisting of the Arabidopsis thaliana tonoplast intrinsic protein alpha described by the GenBank Arabidopsis thaliana genome loci At1g73190 and its orthologous genes from Brassica napus and Linum usitatissimum.