Naruyoshi Suwabe

A GATA box in the GATA-1 gene hematopoietic enhancer is a critical element in the network of GATA factors and sites that regulate this gene.

ABSTRACT A region located at kbp −3.9 to −2.6 5′ to the first hematopoietic exon of the GATA-1 gene is necessary to recapitulate gene expression in both the primitive and definitive erythroid lineages. In transfection analyses, this region activated reporter gene expression from an artificial promoter in a position- and orientation-independent manner, indicating that the region functions as the GATA-1 gene hematopoietic enhancer (G1HE). However, when analyzed in transgenic embryos in vivo, G1HE activity was orientation dependent and also required the presence of the endogenousGATA-1 gene hematopoietic promoter. To define the boundaries of G1HE, a series of deletion constructs were prepared and tested in transfection and transgenic mice analyses. We show that G1HE contains a 149-bp core region which is critical for GATA-1gene expression in both primitive and definitive erythroid cells but that expression in megakaryocytes requires the core plus additional sequences from G1HE. This core region contains one GATA, one GAT, and two E boxes. Mutational analyses revealed that only the GATA box is critical for gene-regulatory activity. Importantly, G1HE was active in SCL−/− embryos. These results thus demonstrate the presence of a critical network of GATA factors and GATA binding sites that controls the expression of this gene.

Differential roles of GATA-1 and GATA-2 in growth and differentiation of mast cells

While mast cells have been previously shown to express both GATA‐1 and GATA‐2 mRNAs, individual functions for these related factors during their course of differentiation within the mast cell lineage have not yet been defined. To address this question, the expression of GATA‐1 and GATA‐2 mRNAs and proteins were examined in three mouse mast cell progenitor lines as well as in mast cells isolated from both wild‐type and GATA‐1‐deficient mice.

Inhibitory interaction of c-Myb and GATA-1 via transcriptional co-activator CBP.

Gene targeting experiments have revealed that transcription factors such as c-Myb and GATA-1 play crucial roles during hematopoietic differentiation. c-Myb is necessary in the immature cells of almost every hematopoietic lineage and GATA-1 is essential for the development of the erythroid lineage. In addition, CREB-binding protein (CBP) acts as a transcriptional adapter for various transcription factors, including c-Myb and GATA-1. In this paper, we show that the transcription factors c-Myb and GATA-1 each inhibit the transcriptional activity of the other and that any possible bipartite complexes c-Myb, GATA-1, and CBP could be formed, but the tripartite complex was hardly formed. The exclusive binding of GATA-1 and c-Myb to CBP is probably the molecular basis for the mutual inhibition of their transcriptional activity. Our data suggest that cross-talk between these three factors might be important for hematopoietic differentiation and that CBP functions as a key molecule during the process.

One enhancer mediates mafK transcriptional activation in both hematopoietic and cardiac muscle cells

Members of the small Maf family of transcription factors play important roles in hematopoiesis. Using transgenic assays, we discovered a tissue‐specific enhancer 3′ to the mafK gene. This enhancer directs mafK transcription in hematopoietic as well as in developing cardiac muscle cells, and was thus designated the hematopoietic and cardiac enhancer of mafK (HCEK). Only two of four GATA consensus motifs identified within HCEK contributed to enhancer activity, and both of these sites were required for both cardiac and hematopoietic transcriptional activation. The expression profile of MafK significantly overlapped that of GATA‐1 in hematopoietic cells and of GATA‐4/‐6 in cardiac tissues. Each of these GATA factors bound with high specificity to both of the critical GATA sites in HCEK. Hence, the mafK gene is regulated by different GATA proteins in the hematopoietic and cardiac compartments through the same two GATA‐binding sites in HCEK. These data provide the first in vivo demonstration that distinct members of a related transcription factor family activate the tissue‐specific expression of a single target gene using the same cis‐regulatory element.

Aberrant progenitors common to megakaryocytic and myeloid cells in a Down's infant with transient abnormal myelopoiesis

Phenotypic characteristics of blasts were studied in a Downs infant with transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM). Two major subpopulations were identified: (1) CD33+CD42b+ cells with platelet peroxidase activity, the commitment of which to megakaryocytic lineage was supported by an increased expression of GATA-1 mRNA; (2) CD33+CD34+CD7+CD4+ cells with immature ultrastructure, which could be either immature megakaryocytic or myeloid cells with aberrant differentiation. Mixed colonies containing megakaryocytes and monocyte/macrophages in the peripheral blood suggested the presence of progenitors common to these subpopulations. These results may indicate that subpopulations of blasts with phenotypic diversity could be derived from aberrant common progenitors to megakaryocytic and myeloid lineages in this patient.