Growth hormone induces GATA3 gene expression via STAT5B

GATA proteins have been proposed as regulators of adipogenesis. In particular, GATA2 and GATA3 have been demonstrated to function in preadipocytes, and their behavior in response to extracellular signals allows preadipocytes to transition into adipocytes in mammals. However, few reports have discussed the extracellular stimulators of both GATAs. In this study, we investigated whether growth hormone (GH) acts as an extracellular ligand of both GATAs, with special attention paid to GATA3 expression in adipocytes. GATA3 expression increased at the transcriptional level with STAT5B activation in a dose-dependent manner, and this was reversed by a STAT5-specific inhibitor. Furthermore, we found that the functional STAT5B consensus sequences that function as the binding site in the GATA3 promoter region were located at -117 bp from the transcription starting site. These results suggest that GH induces GATA3 gene expressions via the GHR/JAK/STAT5 pathway to control adipocyte proliferation and differentiation.