Abstract
The different gene members of the Egr family of transcriptional regulators have often been considered to have related functions in brain, based on their co-expression in many cell-types and structures, the relatively high homology of the translated proteins and their ability to bind to the same consensus DNA binding sequence. Recent research, however, suggest this might not be the case. In this review, we focus on the current understanding of the functional roles of the different Egr family members in learning and memory. We briefly outline evidence from mutant mice that Egr1 is required specifically for the consolidation of long-term memory, while Egr3 is primarily essential for short-term memory. We also review our own recent findings from newly generated forebrain-specific conditional Egr2 mutant mice, which revealed that Egr2, as opposed to Egr1 and Egr3, is dispensable for several forms of learning and memory and on the contrary can act as an inhibitory constraint for certain cognitive functions. The studies reviewed here highlight the fact that Egr family members may have different, and in certain circumstances antagonistic functions in the adult brain.
Highlights
The formation of long-term memory has been shown to be dependent on the synthesis of new proteins but the specific molecular mechanisms that are essential for learning and memory processes and how particular classes of molecules contribute to these events is not fully understood
Our recent findings provide the first evidence that the absence of Egr2 in forebrain neurons may facilitate certain forms of learning and memory and reinforce the notion that Egr1, Egr2 and Egr3 can have different functions in the adult brain and, in certain circumstances, antagonistic functions
Such antagonistic roles played by Early Growth Response (Egr) members have already been observed during the development of Schwann cell lineage where Egr1 and Egr2 are expressed successively and in a mutually exclusive manner (Topilko et al, 1997) and more recently in the regulation of T-cell function (Collins et al, 2008), suggesting they might compete and possibly repress each other
Summary
Reviewed by: Oliver Stork, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany Cesar Venero, Universidad Nacional de Educacion Distancia, Spain Carmen Sandi, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland. The different gene members of the Egr family of transcriptional regulators have often been considered to have related functions in brain, based on their co-expression in many cell-types and structures, the relatively high homology of the translated proteins and their ability to bind to the same consensus DNA binding sequence. We focus on the current understanding of the functional roles of the different Egr family members in learning and memory. We review our own recent findings from newly generated forebrain-specific conditional Egr mutant mice, which revealed that Egr, as opposed to Egr and Egr, is dispensable for several forms of learning and memory and on the contrary can act as an inhibitory constraint for certain cognitive functions. The studies reviewed here highlight the fact that Egr family members may have different, and in certain circumstances antagonistic functions in the adult brain
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