This web page was produced as an assignment for Genetics 564, an undergraduate course at UW-Madison.
The GATA2 Gene
GATA2 is a human gene that encodes a protein (GATA2) that plays an essential role in regulating transcription of genes involved in the development and proliferation of hematopoietic and endocrine cell lineages (1). GATA2 is located on the the long arm of human chromosome 3 at position 21.3, with its expression being regulated at multiple levels (2).
Accession Number: NM_001145661
Length: 3,484 bp
Gene Ontology
Accession Number: NM_001145661
Length: 3,484 bp
Gene Ontology
Figure 1: The location of the GATA2 gene on chromosome 3.
What is Homology?
Homology is when different species share similar structures or gene/protein sequences due to common ancestry (3). The image to the right is a simple example that is frequently used to explain homology. As you can see, humans, dogs, birds and whales all share a similar limb structure inherited from a common ancestor. The differences are simply due to evolutionary changes.
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Figure 2: A comparison of limb structure across four different species that depicts homology.
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GATA2 Homology
GATA2 gene homology was first determined through the use of the Homologene. This database, however, does not contain information on all species. A good way to determine additional homologs is through the use of BLAST. This tool aligns sequences from a library of genes across species to determine genes that share a significant portion of their sequences. Using BLAST one can determine which species a specific gene is most conserved in. Below are some of the species found to have a gene homologous with human GATA2.
Homo sapiens (Humans)
Accession Number: NM_001145661 Fasta Length: 3,484 bp |
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Felis catus (Cat)
GATA binding protein 2 (Gata2) Accession Number: XM_003982552.2 Fasta 93% identical E Value 0.0 Pongo abelii (Orangutan)
GATA binding protein 2 (GATA2) Accession Number: XM_009238424.1 Fasta 98% identical E Value 0.0 Canis lupus familiaris (Dog)
GATA binding protein 2 (Gata2) transcript variant 1 Accession Number: XM_541740.5 Fasta 90% identical E Value 0.0 Pan troglodytes (Chimpanzee)
GATA binding protein 2 (Gata2), transcript variant X1 Accession Number: XM_516728.5 Fasta 99% identical E Value 0.0 |
Mus musculus (Mouse)
GATA binding protein 2 (Gata2) Accession Number: NM_008090.5 Fasta 88% identical E Value = 0.0 Rattus norvegicus (Rat) GATA binding protein 2 (Gata2) Accession Number: NM_033442.1 Fasta 88% identical E Value 0.0 Cavia porcellus (Guinea Pig) GATA binding protein 2 (Gata2) Accession Number: XM_003461497.2 Fasta 89% identical E Value 0.0 Gorilla gorilla (Gorilla) GATA2 Accession Number: XM_004036253.1 Fasta 99% identical E Value 0.0 |
Discussion
As you can see, GATA2 is highly conserved in the mammals above, which reflects the importance of GATA2 in the Class Mammalia. This makes sense considering the protein it encodes, GATA2, plays an essential role in regulating the transcription of genes involved in the development and proliferation of hematopoietic and endocrine cell lineages (1). The near identical sequences of humans, gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans suggest a common ancestor.
References:
1) Gene Cards: The Human Gene Compendium: http://www.genecards.org/cgi-bin/carddisp.pl?gene=GATA2
2) Collin, M et al. (2015). Haematopoietic and immune defects associated with GATA2 mutation. British Journal of Haematology, 169(2): 173-187.
3) Delsuc, Frederic et al. (2005). Phylogenomics and the reconstruction of the tree of life. Nature Reviews Genetics, 6: 361-375.
Images (in order of appearance):
http://www.genecards.org/cgi-bin/carddisp.pl?gene=GATA2 References:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homology_%28biology%29
https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=JN.EGgZHBgfG214zKHFLtjECg&pid=15.1&P=0
http://blog.heartland.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/barack-obama-smiling.jpg
http://www.pets4homes.co.uk/images/articles/962/large/6-large-domestic-cat-breeds-with-wild-relatives-51eff964e9d7b.jpg
http://assets.worldwildlife.org/photos/5057/images/featured_story/orangutan_with_baby.jpg?1378992357
http://www.petguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/cute-dog-names-11.jpg
http://voices.nationalgeographic.com//files/2013/07/69369-cb1373915625-3.jpg
https://www.modernpest.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Photo2-Mouse-2.jpg
http://arlingtonva.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2013/12/rat.jpg
http://www.lovemyguineapig.com/images/looking-guinea-pig2.jpg
http://web.stanford.edu/~jay/gorillas/Jock,_the_Gorilla.