Peripheral nerve damage causes a dramatic alteration to the gene expression in primary sensory neurons, changes within the neuronal cell body giving rise to an altered phenotype, adapted for axonal regeneration. Such changes suggest an alteration in activity, or levels, of cellular transcription factors. The POU family transcription factor Oct-2 is known to be induced in sensory neurons by nerve growth factor (NGF) and might therefore be affected by the removal of target-derived NGF following axotomy. Paradoxically, however, the expression of Oct-2 showed a transient increase of two- to three-fold 24 h after axotomy. In contrast, axotomy had no effect on the levels of the Brn-3 sub-family of POU proteins, indicating that this effect was specific for Oct-2.