MOLECULAR-CLONING OF HUMAN GATA-6DNA BINDING-PROTEIN - HIGH-LEVELS OFEXPRESSION IN HEART AND GUT

Human GATA-6 has been cloned from foetal heart by a combination of PCR -based methods and cDNA library screening. The 3.8 kbp cDNA has a codi ng sequence of 1347 bp the 449 aa protein is virtually identical in th e two zinc-finger binding domains to other human GATA sequences, but v aries considerably in the amino and carboxy terminal regions. The sequ ence shows greatest similarity to GATA-6-like sequences from rat, mous e, chicken and Xenopus. Northern analysis and in situ hybridisation sh ow that GATA-6 is expressed at high levels in human adult and foetal h eart as well as in gut derivatives. It is postulated that GATA-6, in c oncert with GATA-4, plays a crucial role in the regulation of cardiac differentiation. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.