Epithelial lineages of the small intestine have unique patterns of GATA expression.
The ability of the GATA family of factors to interact with numerous other factors, co-factors, and repressors suggests that they may play key roles in tissues and cells where they are expressed. Adult mouse small intestine has been shown to express GATA-4, GATA-5, and GATA-6, where they have been implicated in the activation of a number of intestinal genes. Determination of which GATA factor(s) are involved in a specific function in tissues expressing multiple family members has proven difficult. The immunohistochemical analysis presented here demonstrate that within the mouse small intestine GATA-4/-5/-6 are found to be uniquely distributed among the various differentiated lineages of the intestinal epithelium. Among differentiated cells GATA-4 is found only in the villous enterocytes. GATA-5 is absent from enterocytes, but was found in the remaining lineages: goblet, Paneth and enteroendocrine. Additionally, high levels of GATA-6 are found in only one of these differentiated cell types, the enteroendocrine lineage. The observed distribution suggests that the GATA factors may have distinct roles in lineage allocation, lineage maintenance, and/or terminal differentiation events in small intestine.
Dusing
Mary R
MR
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental Biology, College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Research Foundation, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229, USA.
Wiginton
Dan A
DA
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D050991:GATA4 Transcription Factor; D050992:GATA5 Transcription Factor; D050993:GATA6 Transcription Factor; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000166:cytology*; D051379:Mice; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050991:GATA4 Transcription Factor; D050992:GATA5 Transcription Factor; D050993:GATA6 Transcription Factor; C484171:Gata4 protein, mouse; C494756:Gata5 protein, mouse; C494760:Gata6 protein, mouse; D014157:Transcription Factors