Chapter 9 GATA proteins as molecular gatekeepers of adipogenesis

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the regulators of early stages of adipogenesis. Particularly, the role of GATA transcription factors in adipocyte differentiation and their possible role in determination of cell fate are discussed. Owing to their expression pattern and unique function in both white and brown adipocyte precursors, GATA transcription factors are interesting molecular models to explore the poorly understood mechanisms controlling early stages of adipocyte differentiation. The GATA family of transcription factors is named for their ability to bind DNA at a cognate DNA sequence (A/T)GATA(A/G). They do so via two homologous zinc finger domains, each of which bears the signature sequence Cys-X 2 -Cys-X 17 -Cys-X 2 -Cys. Of the six GATA proteins, GATA-2 and GATA-3 are expressed abundantly in white adipose, while GATA-2 but not -3 is expressed in brown adipose tissue. Interestingly, GATA expression is restricted to early stages of preadipocyte differentiation in clonal cell lines as well as in the stromal–vascular fraction of adipose tissue, which contains preadipocytes and other cell types. This unique expression pattern suggests that transcriptional downregulation of GATA factors may be a feature of adipogenesis. In adipogenic cell lines, constitutive GATA expression throughout differentiation down regulates expression of functionally critical genes.