TARGETED DISRUPTION OF THE GATA3 GENE CAUSES SEVERE ABNORMALITIES IN THE NERVOUS-SYSTEM AND IN FETAL LIVER HEMATOPOIESIS

GATA-3 is one member of a growing family of related transcription fact ors which share a strongly conserved expression pattern in all vertebr ate organisms. In order to elucidate GATA-3 function using a direct ge netic approach, we have disrupted the murine gene by homologous recomb ination in embryonic stem cells. Mice heterozygous for the GATA3 mutat ion are fertile and appear in all respects to be normal, whereas homoz ygous mutant embryos die between days 11 and 12 postcoitum (p.c.) and display massive internal bleeding, marked growth retardation, severe d eformities of the brain and spinal cord, and gross aberrations in feta l liver haematopoiesis.