1. The transcription factor Atonal homolog 8 regulates Gata4 and Friend of Gata-2 during vertebrate development.
- Author
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Rawnsley DR, Xiao J, Lee JS, Liu X, Mericko-Ishizuka P, Kumar V, He J, Basu A, Lu M, Lynn FC, Pack M, Gasa R, and Kahn ML
- Subjects
- Air Sacs embryology, Animals, Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors genetics, DNA-Binding Proteins genetics, GATA Transcription Factors genetics, GATA4 Transcription Factor genetics, Heart Atria embryology, Heart Ventricles embryology, Mice, Mice, Transgenic, Multiprotein Complexes genetics, Multiprotein Complexes metabolism, Myocardium metabolism, Organ Specificity physiology, Transcription Factors genetics, Zebrafish genetics, Zebrafish Proteins genetics, Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors metabolism, DNA-Binding Proteins metabolism, GATA Transcription Factors metabolism, GATA4 Transcription Factor metabolism, Organogenesis physiology, Transcription Factors metabolism, Zebrafish embryology, Zebrafish Proteins metabolism
- Abstract
GATA and Friend of GATA (FOG) form a transcriptional complex that plays a key role in cardiovascular development in both fish and mammals. In the present study we demonstrate that the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor Atonal homolog 8 (Atoh8) is required for development of the heart in fish but not in mice. Genetic studies reveal that Atoh8 interacts specifically with Gata4 and Fog1 during development of the heart and swim bladder in the fish. Biochemical studies reveal that ATOH8, GATA4, and FOG2 associate in a single complex in vitro. In contrast to fish, ATOH8-deficient mice exhibit normal cardiac development and loss of ATOH8 does not alter cardiac development in Gata4(+/-) mice. This species difference in the role of ATOH8 is explained in part by LacZ and GFP reporter alleles that reveal restriction of Atoh8 expression to atrial but not ventricular myocardium in the mouse. Our findings identify ATOH8 as a novel regulator of GATA-FOG function that is required for cardiac development in the fish but not the mouse. Whether ATOH8 modulates GATA-FOG function at other sites or in more subtle ways in mammals is not yet known. more...
- Published
- 2013
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