Kv1.5, a voltage-gated potassium channel, has functional importance in regulating blood vessel tone and cardiac action potential, and is a target for numerous therapeutic drug development programmes. Despite the importance of Kv1.5, there is little knowledge of the mechanisms controlling expression of its underlying gene, Kcna5. We identified a 5-prime flanking region of the murine Kcna5 gene that drives expression of a luciferase reporter gene in primary smooth muscle cells and a smooth muscle cell line. The promoter contained CACCC nucleotide motifs which we have shown to bind the Sp1 transcription factor in the aorta under physiological conditions in vivo. Inhibition of Sp1:Kcna5 promoter interactions using mithramycin A, a dominant negative Sp1 mutant, or disruption of the CACCC boxes by mutagenesis inhibited promoter activity. Conversely, expression of exogenous Sp1 augmented promoter activity. Sp1 has known sensitivity to oxidative stress and, consistent with this property, Kcna5 promoter activity was suppressed by hydrogen peroxide induced oxidative stress. Our results show that Kcna5 promoter activity in vascular smooth muscle is critically dependent upon Sp1 regulation via CACCC box motifs, and identifies mechanisms that potentially influence the expression of Kv1.5 channel expression in physiological or pathological conditions.