Expression of EGR-1 in a subset of olfactory bulb dopaminergic cells

In the adrenal medulla, binding of the immediate early gene (IEG) proteins, EGR-1 (ZIF-268/KROX-24/NGFI-A) and AP-1, to the tyrosine hydroxylase (Th) proximal promoter mediate inducible Th expression. The current study investigated the potential role of EGR-1 in inducible Th expression in the olfactory bulb (OB) since IEGs bound to the AP-1 site in the Th proximal promoter are also necessary for activity-dependent OB TH expression. Immunohistochemical analysis of a naris-occluded mouse model of odor deprivation revealed weak EGR-1 expression levels in the OB glomerular layer that were activity-dependent. Immunofluorescence analysis indicated that a majority of glomerular cells expressing EGR-1 also co-expressed TH, but only small subset of TH-expressing cells contained EGR-1. By contrast, granule cells, which lack TH, exhibited EGR-1 expression levels that were unchanged by naris closure. Together, these finding suggest that EGR-1 mediates activity-dependent TH expression in a subset of OB dopaminergic neurons, and that there is differential regulation of EGR-1 in periglomerular and granule cells.