title: Inhibition of transcription factor GATA-4 expression blocks in vitro cardiac muscle differentiation.
abstract: Commitment of mesodermal cells to the cardiac lineage is a very early event that occurs during gastrulation, and differentiation of cardiac muscle cells begins in the presomite stage prior to formation of the beating heart tube. However, the molecular events, including gene products that are required for differentiation of cardiac muscle cells, remain essentially unknown. GATA-4 is a recently characterized cardiac muscle-restricted transcription factor whose properties suggest an important regulatory role in heart development. We tested the role of GATA-4 in cardiac differentiation, using the pluripotent P19 embryonal carcinoma cells, which can be differentiated into beating cardiac muscle cells. In this system, GATA-4 transcripts and protein are restricted to cells committed to the cardiac lineage, and induction of GATA-4 precedes expression of cardiac marker genes and appearance of beating cells. Inhibition of GATA-4 expression by antisense transcripts blocks development of beating cardiac muscle cells and interferes with expression of cardiac muscle markers. These data indicate that GATA-4 is necessary for development of cardiac muscle cells and identify for the first time a tissue-specific transcription factor that may be crucial for early steps of mammalian cardiogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Développement et Différenciation Cardiaques, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grépin
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Robitaille
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Antakly
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nemer
mesh_terms: D016375:Antisense Elements (Genetics) / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D018236:Carcinoma, Embryonal; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D054278:Embryonal Carcinoma Stem Cells; D050991:GATA4 Transcription Factor; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects*; D006321:Heart / Q000254:growth & development*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology*; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D011485:Protein Binding; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D016375:Antisense Elements (Genetics); D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050991:GATA4 Transcription Factor; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors