Abstract
Objective
Transcription factor GATA4 has significant roles in embryonic heart development. Mutations of GATA4 appear to be responsible for a wide variety of congenital heart defects (CHD). Despite the high prevalence of GATA4 mutations in CHD phenotypes, extensive studies have not been performed. The 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) of the GATA4 gene comprises regulatory motifs and microRNA binding sites that are critical for the appropriate gene expression, nuclear transportation, and regulation of translation, and stability of mRNA. This study aimed to evaluate the association between mutations in the 3′-UTR of the GATA4 gene and CHD risk among Iranian patients.
Methods
We analyzed the coding region of exon 6 and the whole 3′-UTR of GATA4 in DNA isolated from 175 blood samples of CHD patients and 115 unrelated healthy individuals. The functional importance of the observed GATA4 mutations was evaluated using a variety of bioinformatics algorithms for assessment of nonsynonymous mutations and those observed in miRNA binding sites of 3′-UTR.
Results
Twenty-one point mutations including one missense mutation (c.511A>G: p.Ser377Gly) in exon 6 and 20 nucleotide variations in 3′-UTR of GATA4 gene were identified in 65 of the 175 CHD patients. In our patients, we identified 12 novel sequence alterations and 8 single nucleotide polymorphisms in the 3′-UTR of GATA4. Most of them had statistically significant differences between CHD patients and controls.
Conclusion
Our results suggest that 3′-UTR variations of the GATA4 gene probably change microRNA binding sites and present an additional molecular risk factor for the susceptibility of CHD.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Best KE, Rankin J. Long-Term Survival of Individuals Born With Congenital Heart Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Am Heart Assoc, 2016,5(6):e002846
Triedman JK, Newburger JW. Trends in Congenital Heart Disease: The Next Decade. Circulation, 2016,133(25):2716–2733
Akhirome E, Walton NA, Nogee JM, et al. The Complex Genetic Basis of Congenital Heart Defects. Circ J, 2017,81(5):629–634
Pierpont ME, Basson CT, Benson DW, Jr., et al. Genetic basis for congenital heart defects: current knowledge: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association Congenital Cardiac Defects Committee, Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young: endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Circulation, 2007,115(23):3015–3038
Nashat H, Montanaro C, Li W, et al. Atrial septal defects and pulmonary arterial hypertension. J Thorac Dis, 2018,10(Suppl 24):S2953–S2965
Vecoli C, Pulignani S, Foffa I, et al. Congenital heart disease: the crossroads of genetics, epigenetics and environment. Curr Genomics, 2014,15(5):390–399
Bruneau BG. Signaling and transcriptional networks in heart development and regeneration. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol, 2013,5(3):a008292
Paige SL, Plonowska K, Xu A, et al. Molecular regulation of cardiomyocyte differentiation. Circ Res, 2015,116(2):341–353
Ma L, Wang J, Li L, et al. ISL1 loss-of-function mutation contributes to congenital heart defects. Heart Vessels, 2019,34(4):658–668
Wang Z, Song HM, Wang F, et al. A New ISL1 Loss-of-Function Mutation Predisposes to Congenital Double Outlet Right Ventricle. Int Heart J, 2019,60(5):1113–1122
Brand T. Heart development: molecular insights into cardiac specification and early morphogenesis. Dev Biol, 2003,258(1):1–19
Granados-Riveron JT, Pope M, Bu’lock FA, et al. Combined mutation screening of NKX2-5, GATA4, and TBX5 in congenital heart disease: multiple heterozygosity and novel mutations. Congenit Heart Dis, 2012,7(2):151–159
Zhang Y, Sun YM, Xu YJ, et al. A New TBX5 Loss-of-Function Mutation Contributes to Congenital Heart Defect and Atrioventricular Block. Int Heart J, 2020,61(4):761–768
Schaan CW, Macedo ACP, Sbruzzi G, et al. Functional Capacity in Congenital Heart Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Arq Bras Cardiol, 2017,109(4):357–367
Misra C, Sachan N, McNally CR, et al. Congenital heart disease-causing Gata4 mutation displays functional deficits in vivo. PLoS Genet, 2012,8(5):e1002690
Wang E, Sun S, Qiao B, et al. Identification of functional mutations in GATA4 in patients with congenital heart disease. PLoS One, 2013,8(4):e62138
Yang YQ, Wang J, Liu XY, et al. Novel GATA4 mutations in patients with congenital ventricular septal defects. Med Sci Monit, 2012,18(6):CR344–350
Tomita-Mitchell A, Maslen CL, Morris CD, et al. GATA4 sequence variants in patients with congenital heart disease. J Med Genet, 2007,44(12):779–783
Khatami M, Mazidi M, Taher S, et al. Novel Point Mutations in the NKX2.5 Gene in Pediatric Patients with Non-Familial Congenital Heart Disease. Medicina (Kaunas), 2018,54(3):46
Khatami M, Heidari MM, Kazeminasab F, et al. Identification of a novel non-sense mutation in TBX5 gene in pediatric patients with congenital heart defects. J Cardiovasc Thorac Res, 2018,10(1):41–45
Dianatpour S, Khatami M, Heidari MM, et al. Novel Point Mutations of CITED2 Gene Are Associated with Non-familial Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) in Sporadic Pediatric Patients. Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 2019,190(3):896–906
Reamon-Buettner SM, Cho SH, Borlak J. Mutations in the 3′-untranslated region of GATA4 as molecular hotspots for congenital heart disease (CHD). BMC Med Genet, 2007,8:38
Schwerk J, Savan R. Translating the Untranslated Region. J Immunol, 2015,195(7):2963–2971
Pulignani S, Vecoli C, Sabina S, et al. 3′UTR SNPs and Haplotypes in the GATA4 Gene Contribute to the Genetic Risk of Congenital Heart Disease. Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed), 2016,69(8):760–765
Qu L, Li X, Wu G, et al. Efficient and sensitive method of DNA silver staining in polyacrylamide gels. Electrophoresis, 2005,26(1):99–101
Lentjes MH, Niessen HE, Akiyama Y, et al. The emerging role of GATA transcription factors in development and disease. Expert Rev Mol Med, 2016,18:e3
Valimaki MJ, Ruskoaho HJ. Targeting GATA4 for cardiac repair. IUBMB Life, 2020,72(1):68–79
Patient RK, McGhee JD. The GATA family (vertebrates and invertebrates). Curr Opin Genet Dev, 2002,12(4):416–422
Peterkin T, Gibson A, Loose M, et al. The roles of GATA-4, -5 and -6 in vertebrate heart development. Semin Cell Dev Biol, 2005,16(1):83–94
Mattapally S, Nizamuddin S, Murthy KS, et al. c.620C>T mutation in GATA4 is associated with congenital heart disease in South India. BMC Med Genet, 2015,16:7
Okubo A, Miyoshi O, Baba K, et al. A novel GATA4 mutation completely segregated with atrial septal defect in a large Japanese family. J Med Genet, 2004,41(7):e97
Rajagopal SK, Ma Q, Obler D, et al. Spectrum of heart disease associated with murine and human GATA4 mutation. J Mol Cell Cardiol, 2007,43(6):677–685
Wang J, Fang M, Liu XY, et al. A novel GATA4 mutation responsible for congenital ventricular septal defects. Int J Mol Med, 2011,28(4):557–564
Garg V, Kathiriya IS, Barnes R, et al. GATA4 mutations cause human congenital heart defects and reveal an interaction with TBX5. Nature, 2003,424(6947):443–447
Al-Azzouny MA, El Ruby MO, Issa HA, et al. Detection and putative effect of GATA4 gene variants in patients with congenital cardiac septal defects. Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand), 2016,62(3):10–14
Bose D, D V, Shetty M, et al. Identification of intronic-splice site mutations in GATA4 gene in Indian patients with congenital heart disease. Mutat Res, 2017,803–805:26–34
Ciccacci C, Rufini S, Politi C, et al. Could MicroRNA polymorphisms influence warfarin dosing? A pharmacogenetics study on mir133 genes. Thromb Res, 2015,136(2):367–370
Chatterjee S, Pal JK. Role of 5′- and 3′-untranslated regions of mRNAs in human diseases. Biol Cell, 2009,101(5):251–262
Felekkis K, Touvana E, Stefanou C, et al. microRNAs: a newly described class of encoded molecules that play a role in health and disease. Hippokratia, 2010,14(4):236–240
Moszynska A, Gebert M, Collawn JF, et al. SNPs in microRNA target sites and their potential role in human disease. Open Biol, 2017,7(4):170019
Nury D, Chabanon H, Levadoux-Martin M, et al. An eleven nucleotide section of the 3′-untranslated region is required for perinuclear localization of rat metallothionein-1 mRNA. Biochem J, 2005,387(Pt 2):419–428
Sabina S, Pulignani S, Rizzo M, et al. Germline hereditary, somatic mutations and microRNAs targeting-SNPs in congenital heart defects. J Mol Cell Cardiol, 2013,60:84–89
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Khatami, M., Ghorbani, S., Adriani, M.R. et al. Novel Point Mutations in 3′-Untranslated Region of GATA4 Gene Are Associated with Sporadic Non-syndromic Atrial and Ventricular Septal Defects. CURR MED SCI 42, 129–143 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-021-2428-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-021-2428-9