title: Mouse GATA-4: a retinoic acid-inducible GATA-binding transcription factor expressed in endodermally derived tissues and heart.
abstract: We report the cDNA cloning and characterization of mouse GATA-4, a new member of the family of zinc finger transcription factors that bind a core GATA motif. GATA-4 cDNA was identified by screening a 6.5-day mouse embryo library with oligonucleotide probes corresponding to a highly conserved region of the finger domains. Like other proteins of the family, GATA-4 is approximately 50 kDa in size and contains two zinc finger domains of the form C-X-N-C-(X17)-C-N-X-C. Cotransfection assays in heterologous cells demonstrate that GATA-4 trans activates reporter constructs containing GATA promoter elements. Northern (RNA) analysis and in situ hybridization show that GATA-4 mRNA is expressed in the heart, intestinal epithelium, primitive endoderm, and gonads. Retinoic acid-induced differentiation of mouse F9 cells into visceral or parietal endoderm is accompanied by increased expression of GATA-4 mRNA and protein. In vitro differentiation of embryonic stem cells into embryoid bodies is also associated with increased GATA-4 expression. We conclude that GATA-4 is a tissue-specific, retinoic acid-inducible, and developmentally regulated transcription factor. On the basis of its tissue distribution, we speculate that GATA-4 plays a role in gene expression in the heart, intestinal epithelium, primitive endoderm, and gonads.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Arceci
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Orkin
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D050991:GATA4 Transcription Factor; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005796:Genes; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology; D016335:Zinc Fingers
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050991:GATA4 Transcription Factor; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014212:Tretinoin