title: Analysis of the signals and mechanisms mediating nuclear trafficking of GATA-4. Loss of DNA binding is associated with localization in intranuclear speckles.
abstract: Nucleocytoplasmic transport of GATA-4 is important in maintaining and regulating normal cardiogenesis and heart function. This report investigates the detailed mechanisms of GATA-4 nuclear transport. We characterized a nonclassical nuclear localization signal between amino acids 270 and 324 that actively transports GATA-4 into the nucleus of both HeLa cells and cardiac myocytes. Fine mapping studies revealed four crucial arginine residues within this region that mediate active transport predominantly through the nonclassical pathway via interaction with importin beta. These four residues were also essential for the DNA binding activity of GATA-4 and transcriptional activation of cardiac-specific genes. Interestingly, mutation of these residues not only inhibited DNA binding and gene transcription but also resulted in a preferential accumulation of the GATA-4 protein in distinct subnuclear speckles. A cardiac myocyte-specific, chromosome maintenance region 1-dependent nuclear export signal consisting of three essential leucine residues was also identified. The current study provides detailed information on the nuclear shuttling pathways of GATA-4 that represents an additional mechanism of gene regulation.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Vascular Research, Department of Medicine, St. George Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Alana S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Philips
authors.forename: Juliana C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Kwok
authors.forename: Beng H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Chong
mesh_terms: D021581:Active Transport, Cell Nucleus; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000737:chemistry; D001692:Biological Transport; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism*; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry; D050991:GATA4 Transcription Factor / Q000737:chemistry*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011485:Protein Binding; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D028961:beta Karyopherins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D050991:GATA4 Transcription Factor; D028961:beta Karyopherins; D004247:DNA; D001120:Arginine