Conserved roles of GATA4 and its target gene TBX2 in regulation of human cardiogenesis

GATA4 regulates cardiogenesis through the expression of its target genes, only some of which have been identified. We have used a gain of function model based on pluripotent embryonic ectoderm explants from Xenopus embryos expressing GATA4, to identify a set of downstream targets of GATA4 which are also regulated by Nodal, a known cardiogenic signal.

GATA4 was shown to be required for the expression of target genes tbx2 and prdm1 in vivo, likely acting in a direct fashion by interacting with their regulatory regions. In addition, tbx2 and prdm1 are shown to have roles of their own in vivo, as downregulation of tbx2, a positive target, and overexpression of prdm1, a negative target, interferes with cardiac development in Xenopus embryos.