title: Identification of a GATA motif in the cardiac alpha-myosin heavy-chain-encoding gene and isolation of a human GATA-4 cDNA.
abstract: In an attempt to identify the cardiac-specific genes regulated by the transcription factor GATA-4, we have identified a putative GATA-binding site located within the 5' flanking sequence of the human cardiac alpha-myosin heavy-chain-encoding gene. The 23-bp sequence surrounding the core GATA-binding site is conserved across species. The core motif and flanking sequences of this GATA-binding site are almost identical to that of a well-established GATA-binding site located within the 3' enhancer of the human beta-globin gene. Using electrophoretic mobility shift analysis, two distinct nuclear factors were found to bind specifically to this element. We have isolated a full-length cDNA clone for human GATA-4 (hGATA-4) by screening a human heart cDNA library. The hGATA-4 cDNA sequence shows 85% identity with murine GATA-4 in the protein coding region. The deduced amino-acid sequence within the two zinc-finger DNA-binding domains of human GATA-4 is 100% identical with murine GATA-4. Northern blot analysis reveals that this 4.4-kb transcript has higher expression in adult heart than in fetal heart. Our results suggest that GATA-4 may regulate a set of cardiac-specific genes and play a crucial role in cardiogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Toronto Hospital, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: W Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cukerman
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Liew
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D050991:GATA4 Transcription Factor; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D009218:Myosins / Q000235:genetics*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050991:GATA4 Transcription Factor; D014157:Transcription Factors; D009218:Myosins