The mechanisms that control the wound-induced expression of the prxC2 gene for horseradish peroxidase (HRP) have been investigated. Analysis of the regulatory properties of 5'-deleted promoters showed that a positive element involved in the response to wounding was located between -307 and -99 bp from the site of initiation of translation. In in vitro binding assays of tobacco nuclear proteins and DNA fragments of prxC2 promoter, the binding site was the Box 1 from -296 to -283 containing the CACGTG motif. To identify the functional role of Box 1, the prxC2 promoter that has been digested from the 5' end to -289 with a disrupted Box 1 was fused to a reporter gene for beta-glucuronidase (GUS). No induction of GUS activity was observed in transgenic tobacco plants with the prxC2 (-289)/GUS construct. These data indicated that the expression of prxC2 in response to wounding required the Box 1 sequence from -296 to -283. Furthermore, a tobacco cDNA expression library was screened and a cDNA clone for a protein, designated TFHP-1, that bound specifically to the Box 1 sequence was identified. The putative TFHP-1 protein contains a basic region and leucine zipper (bZip) motif and a helix-loop-helix (HLH) motif. The mRNA for TFHP-1 was abundant in roots and stems, and it was not induced by wounding in leaves. In tobacco protoplasts, antisense TFHP-1 suppressed the expression of prxC2(-529)/GUS.