Progress of GATA6 in liver development.

GATA binding protein 6 (GATA6) is a member of the GATA family of zinc-finger transcriptional regulators, whose names come from the conservative base sequence (G/A)GATA(A/T). The GATA families play key roles in cell fate determination, proliferation, migration, and organogenesis of endoderm- and mesoderm-derived organs in vertebrates. As a lineage-specific factor, a chromatin remodeling factor, a pluripotent factor and a pioneer factor, GATA6 is involved in various stages of liver development, including endoderm liver-lineage determination, liver specification, hepatic bud outgrowth and hepatoblast differentiation. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the roles and regulatory mechanisms of GATA6 in liver development.