This disclosure concerns compositions and methods for promoting transcription of a nucleotide sequence in a plant or plant cell, employing a minimal core promoter element from a Arabidopsis thaliana Ubiquitin-10 gene promoter or Cassava Vein Mosaic Virus promoter, and the full-length nucleotide sequence elements from a Cassava Vein Mosaic Virus promoter. Some embodiments relate to a synthetic CsVMV bi-directional promoter that functions in plants to promote transcription of two operably linked nucleotide sequences.