WRKY proteins, a big family of transcription factors, are involved in regulation diverse developmental and physiological processes in plants. Here, a novel WRKY gene, OsWRKY52, was isolated from a rice cDNA library. This gene included an open reading frame of 1 719 bp in length, and the deduced polypeptide contained 572 amino acids, sharing 54% identity with a WRKY1 protein from Avena sativa. Expression of OsWRKY52 gene was induced rapidly by Magnaporthe grisea in the incompatible interaction with rice plant. OsWRKY52 protein, expressed prokaryotically bound specifically to W box cis elements derived from the promoter of a rice PR1a. Transcriptional activation assay was performed by a yeast one- hybrid method. Regions of transactivation were identified to be the N-terminal serine- and threonine-rich islands and the C-terminal acidic domain of OsWRKY52. These results suggest that OsWRKY52, as a transcription activator, may be involved in defense responses against Magnaporthe grisea in rice plants.