title: The gene encoding the mitogen-responsive phosphoprotein Dab2 is differentially regulated by GATA-6 and GATA-4 in the visceral endoderm.
abstract: Gene targeting studies have demonstrated that the zinc finger transcription factor GATA-6 lies upstream in a transcriptional cascade that controls differentiation of the visceral endoderm. To understand the function of GATA-6 in the visceral endoderm and to identify genes regulated by GATA-6 in this tissue, subtractive hybridization was performed using template cDNAs derived from differentiated wild-type embryonic stem (ES) cells and GATA-6(-/-) ES cells, respectively. These analyses revealed that the gene encoding Dab2, a mitogen-responsive phosphoprotein, is differentially expressed in wild-type and GATA-6-deficient ES cells. Consistent with these findings, Dab2 is expressed in the visceral endoderm of wild-type embryos but not in the visceral endoderm of GATA-6-deficient embryos. Cotransfection experiments demonstrate that the human Dab2 promoter can be transactivated by forced expression of GATA-6 in NIH-3T3 cells. In contrast, forced expression of GATA-4 does not transactivate the human Dab2 promoter and Dab2 is expressed in the visceral endoderm of GATA-4 null embryos. Surprisingly, the specificity of GATA-6-induced transactivation of the Dab2 promoter is not mediated through its zinc finger DNA-binding domain. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the mitogen-responsive phosphoprotein Dab2 is a downstream target of GATA-6 in the visceral endoderm. Moreover, these data demonstrate that molecular mechanisms have evolved that direct, and distinguish, the functional specificity of GATA family members when they are developmentally coexpressed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Morrisey
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Musco
authors.forename: M Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Leiden
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Parmacek
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D033942:Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport; D000818:Animals; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D001483:Base Sequence; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D004707:Endoderm / Q000378:metabolism*; D050991:GATA4 Transcription Factor; D050993:GATA6 Transcription Factor; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010957:Plasmids; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011506:Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D033942:Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; C102885:DAB2 protein, human; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050991:GATA4 Transcription Factor; D050993:GATA6 Transcription Factor; C494759:GATA6 protein, human; C494760:Gata6 protein, mouse; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D011506:Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins