GATA456

GATA456 is a shorthand term used in genetics and bioinformatics to refer collectively to the GATA4, GATA5, and GATA6 genes in vertebrates. It is not an official gene symbol and does not denote a single gene, but a convenient label in discussions of the GATA transcription factor family.

The GATA4, GATA5, and GATA6 genes encode transcription factors that bind the DNA motif GATA and regulate transcription. They share a characteristic architecture that includes two GATA-type zinc finger domains and conserved regulatory elements. They are expressed in overlapping and tissue-specific patterns during development.

In vertebrates, the GATA4–GATA6 factors participate in lineage specification and organogenesis, including heart, gut, pancreas, and liver development, as well as in tissue maintenance and regeneration. They often act together with other transcription factors and signaling pathways, and in some contexts can compensate for each other.

Evolutionarily, GATA4-6 are conserved among vertebrates, arising from gene duplications early in vertebrate evolution; GATA5 has a more variable presence across lineages.

Clinically, mutations or misregulation of GATA4-6 have been linked to congenital heart defects, pancreatic and gastrointestinal anomalies, and altered cancer-related gene expression in humans. The GATA gene set is also used in research to study developmental processes and disease models.

In research resources, GATA456 is used as a grouping term in some databases and analyses, but it is not a standard official symbol, and researchers typically refer to the individual genes by their GATA4, GATA5, and GATA6 designations.