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An endoderm‐specific transcriptional enhancer from the mouse Gata4 gene requires GATA and homeodomain protein–binding sites for function in vivo
Author(s) -
Rojas Anabel,
Schachterle William,
Xu ShanMei,
Black Brian L.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
developmental dynamics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.634
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1097-0177
pISSN - 1058-8388
DOI - 10.1002/dvdy.22091
Subject(s) - endoderm , biology , enhancer , gata4 , homeobox , transcription factor , gata transcription factor , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , gene , promoter , gene expression , cellular differentiation
Several transcription factors function in the specification and differentiation of the endoderm, including the zinc finger transcription factor GATA4. Despite its essential role in endoderm development, the transcriptional control of the Gata4 gene in the developing endoderm and its derivatives remains incompletely understood. Here, we identify a distal enhancer from the Gata4 gene, which directs expression exclusively to the visceral and definitive endoderm of transgenic mouse embryos. The activity of this enhancer is initially broad within the definitive endoderm but later restricts to developing endoderm‐derived tissues, including pancreas, glandular stomach, and duodenum. The activity of this enhancer in vivo is dependent on evolutionarily‐conserved HOX‐ and GATA‐binding sites, which are bound by PDX‐1 and GATA4, respectively. These studies establish Gata4 as a direct transcriptional target of homeodomain and GATA transcription factors in the endoderm and support a model in which GATA4 functions in the transcriptional network for pancreas formation. Developmental Dynamics 238:2588–2598, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.