GATA Transcription Factor Antibody Sampler Kit

The GATA Transcription Factor Antibody Sampler Kit provides an economical means of evaluating total levels of GATA family proteins. The kit includes enough antibodies to perform two western blot experiments with each primary antibody.

GATA proteins comprise a group of transcription factors that are related by the presence of conserved zinc finger DNA-binding domains, which bind directly to the nucleotide sequence core element GATA (1-3). There are six vertebrate GATA proteins, designated GATA-1 to GATA-6 (3). Although they are commonly divided as hematopoietic (GATA-1-3) or cardiac (GATA-4-6) factors, GATA proteins are expressed in a wide variety of tissue and play critical roles in embryonic development and organ differentiation (4). GATA-1 is the founding member of the GATA family and is required for erythroid and megakaryocytic cell development (5,6). Mutations in the corresponding GATA-1 gene are linked to many human diseases, including acute megakaryoblastic leukemia in Down Syndrome children (DS-AMKL), X-linked thrombocytopenia, and gray platelet syndrome (7-10). GATA-2 is widely expressed and plays an essential role in many developmental processes (11). Studies on GATA-2 knockout mice indicate that this protein is required in hematopoiesis (12). GATA-2 also inhibits the differentiation of white and brown adipocytes and has been shown to suppress the proliferation of neuronal progenitor cells (13-15). GATA-3 is a critical regulator of development and is expressed in both hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic tissues, including the kidney, skin, mammary gland, and central nervous system (16-19). GATA-3 knockout mouse embryos die between E11 and E12 due to growth retardation and deformities in the brain and spinal cord (20). The function of GATA-3 has also been extensively studied in T cell development and has been shown to be a downstream target of Notch in Notch-mediated differentiation of TH2 cells (21,22). GATA-4 is crucial for cardiomyocyte differentiation, and not surprisingly, mutations in the GATA-4 gene are implicated in many cardiac diseases, such as tetralogy of Fallot, familial and sporadic dilated cardiomyopathy, and atrial septal defect (23-27). GATA-4 and GATA-6 together maintain intestinal epithelial structure by regulating enterocyte gene expression (28). They also have overlapping roles in steroidogenesis and genital ridge formation during gonadal development (29). GATA-6 plays a critical role in endoderm development and is essential for the development of the heart, gut, and other organs (30-32). Knockout of GATA-6 is embryonic lethal due to defects in the formation of the heart tube and a failure to develop extraembryonic endoderm (30).