title: DNA-binding specificities of the GATA transcription factor family.
abstract: Members of the GATA family of transcription factors, which are related by a high degree of amino acid sequence identity within their zinc finger DNA-binding domains, each show distinct but overlapping patterns of tissue-restricted expression. Although GATA-1, -2, and -3 have been shown to recognize a consensus sequence derived from regulatory elements in erythroid cell-specific genes, WGATAR (in which W indicates A/T and R indicates A/G), the potential for more subtle differences in the binding preferences of each factor has not been previously addressed. By employing a binding selection and polymerase chain reaction amplification scheme with randomized oligonucleotides, we have determined the binding-site specificities of bacterially expressed chicken GATA-1, -2, and -3 transcription factors. Whereas all three GATA factors bind an AGATAA erythroid consensus motif with high affinity, a second, alternative consensus DNA sequence, AGATCTTA, is also recognized well by GATA-2 and GATA-3 but only poorly by GATA-1. These studies suggest that all three GATA factors are capable of mediating transcriptional effects via a common erythroid consensus DNA-binding motif. Furthermore, GATA-2 and GATA-3, because of their distinct expression patterns and broader DNA recognition properties, may be involved in additional regulatory processes beyond those of GATA-1. The definition of an alternative GATA-2-GATA-3 consensus sequence may facilitate the identification of new target genes in the further elucidation of the roles that these transcription factors play during development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3500.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Engel
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D050981:Erythroid-Specific DNA-Binding Factors; D050989:GATA2 Transcription Factor; D050990:GATA3 Transcription Factor; D007700:Kinetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050981:Erythroid-Specific DNA-Binding Factors; D050989:GATA2 Transcription Factor; D050990:GATA3 Transcription Factor; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D004247:DNA