['To understand the mechanisms of Early Growth Response Protein 1 (Egr-1) induction upon HSV-1 lytic infection and its roles in regulating viral gene expression and replication.', 'Rabbit corneal cell line SIRC and other cell lines were infected by HSV-1 to investigate the Egr-1 induction and its occupancy on the viral genome in different conditions. UV-inactivated HSV-1 and a recombinant virus over-expressing Egr-1 were generated to evaluate the regulatory effects on viral gene expression and replication during the infection.', 'Egr-1 induction triggered by viral infection was determined by Western Blot analyses and immune-fluorescent microscopy. Real-time RT-PCR and a novel Cignal', 'Our results indicated that Egr-1 expression requires viral gene expression since the UV-inactivated HSV-1 failed to produce Egr-1 protein. Blockade of viral replication did not block the Egr-1 protein synthesis, supporting the hypothesis that HSV-1 replication was not essential for Egr-1 production. Chromatin immune-precipitation (ChIP) and RT-PCR assays demonstrated that induced Egr-1 was able to interact with key regulatory elements near HSV-1 immediate-early (IE) genes and promote viral gene expression. Recombinant virus overexpressing Egr-1 revealed that Egr-1 enhanced the viral replication and the release of infectious virus.'] Does induction of Transcription Factor Early Growth Response Protein 1 during HSV-1 Infection promote Viral Replication in Corneal Cells?