Sall3 correlates with the expression of TH in mouse olfactory bulb

Sall3 is a member of a gene family with homology to the spalt gene of Drosophila melanogaster, encoding transcription factors, and acts as downstream target of hedgehog. Vertebrate homologues of spalt have been shown to be involved in development of the limbs and nervous system and several organs including the kidney and heart; mutations in the genes are implicated in several human genetic disorders. Recent studies have shown a total loss of olfactory bulb (OB) dopaminergic (DA) neurons in Sall3-null mice. We assume that tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) may be regulated by Sall3 in OB. In this study, we find that Sall3 and TH co-localize in glomerular layer (GL) of OB. Furthermore, we demonstrate a significant induction of the proximal TH promoter transcription activity by Sall3 in dual-luciferase reporter assay and a reduction of TH expression level in Sall3-deficient cell lines. Collectively, these findings support the notion that Sall3 correlates with the expression of TH in mouse OB and may have a role in OB DA neuron development by regulating TH gene expression. The results from this study may advance our understanding of the molecular pathways of OB in the DA neuron development and differentiation.