GATA-1: Proteins and Enzymes

GATA proteins are transcriptional coactivators with two GATA-type zinc fingers. GATAs bind to the consensus DNA sequence (A/T) GATA (A/G) to control diverse tissue-specific programs of gene expression and morphogenesis. GATA-1, -2, -3 are selectively expressed in hematopoietic and endothelial cells, while GATA-4, -5, and -6 are expressed in developing heart and gut-derived tissues. GATA-1 and -3 exist in multiple alternatively spliced isoforms.

GATA-1 is the founding member of the GATA family of transcription factors. GATA-1 is expressed in blood forming cells. It interacts with several additional proteins to activate or repress gene expression and is essential for erythropoiesis.