Project description:We investigated the timing of the recruitment of Spn1 and its partner, Spt6, to the CYC1 gene. Like TATA binding protein and RNA polymerase II (RNAPII), Spn1 is constitutively recruited to the CYC1 promoter, although levels of transcription from this gene, which is regulated postrecruitment of RNAPII, are low. In contrast, Spt6 appears only after growth in conditions in which the gene is highly transcribed. Spn1 recruitment is via interaction with RNAPII, since an spn1 mutant defective for interaction with RNAPII is not targeted to the promoter, and Spn1 is necessary for Spt6 recruitment. Through a targeted genetic screen, strong and specific antagonizing interactions between SPN1 and genes encoding Swi/Snf subunits were identified. Like Spt6, Swi/Snf appears at CYC1 only after activation of the gene. However, Spt6 significantly precedes Swi/Snf occupancy at the promoter. In the absence of Spn1 recruitment, Swi/Snf is constitutively found at the promoter. These observations support a model whereby Spn1 negatively regulates RNAPII transcriptional activity by inhibiting recruitment of Swi/Snf to the CYC1 promoter, and this inhibition is abrogated by the Spn1-Spt6 interaction. These findings link Spn1 functions to the transition from an inactive to an actively transcribing RNAPII complex at a postrecruitment-regulated promoter.
Project description:The transcription factor NF-κB is constitutively activated in many epithelial tumors but few NF-κB inhibitors are suitable for cancer therapy because of its broad biological effects. We previously reported that the d4-family proteins (DPF1, DPF2, DPF3a/b) function as adaptor proteins linking NF-κB with the SWI/SNF complex. Here, using epithelial tumor cell lines, A549 and HeLaS3, we demonstrate that exogenous expression of the highly-conserved N-terminal 84-amino acid region (designated "CT1") of either DPF2 or DPF3a/b has stronger inhibitory effects on anchorage-independent growth than the single knockdown of any d4-family protein. This indicates that CT1 can function as an efficient dominant-negative mutant of the entire d4-family proteins. By in situ proximity ligation assay, CT1 was found to retain full adaptor function, indicating that the C-terminal region of d4-family proteins lacking in CT1 would include essential domains for SWI/SNF-dependent NF-κB activation. Microarray analysis revealed that CT1 suppresses only a portion of the NF-κB target genes, including representative SWI/SNF-dependent genes. Among these genes, IL6 was shown to strongly contribute to anchorage-independent growth. Finally, exogenous CT1 expression efficiently suppressed tumor formation in a mouse xenograft model, suggesting that the d4-family proteins are promising cancer therapy targets.
Project description:The variant histone macroH2A helps maintain X inactivation and gene silencing. Previous work implied that nucleosomes containing macroH2A cannot be remodeled by ISWI and SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling enzymes. Using approaches that prevent misassembly of macroH2A nucleosomes, we find that macroH2A nucleosomes are excellent substrates for both enzyme families. Interestingly, SWI/SNF, which is involved in gene activation, preferentially binds H2A nucleosomes over macroH2A nucleosomes, but ACF, an ISWI complex implicated in gene repression, shows no preference. Thus, macroH2A may help regulate the balance between activating and repressive remodeling complexes.
Project description:Chromatin-remodeling complexes regulate the expression of genes in all eukaryotic genomes. The SWI/SNF complex of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is recruited to its target promoters via interactions with selected transcription factors. Here, we show that the N-terminus of Snf2p, the chromatin remodeling core unit of the SWI/SNF complex, is essential for the expression of VHT1, the gene of the plasma membrane H(+)/biotin symporter, and of BIO5, the gene of a 7-keto-8-aminopelargonic acid transporter, biotin biosynthetic precursor. chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analyses demonstrate that Vhr1p, the transcriptional regulator of VHT1 and BIO5 expression, is responsible for the targeting of Snf2p to the VHT1 promoter at low biotin. We identified an Snf2p mutant, Snf2p-R(15)C, that specifically abolishes the induction of VHT1 and BIO5 but not of other Snf2p-regulated genes, such as GAL1, SUC2 or INO1. We present a novel mechanism of target gene-specific SWI/SNF recruitment via Vhr1p and a conserved N-terminal Snf2p domain.
Project description:ObjectiveRegulatory complexes comprising myocardin and serum response factor (SRF) are critical for the transcriptional regulation of many smooth muscle-specific genes. However, little is known about the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate the activity of these complexes. In the current study, we investigated the role of SWI/SNF ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling enzymes in regulating the myogenic activity of myocardin.Methods and resultsWe found that both Brg1 and Brm are required for maintaining expression of several smooth muscle-specific genes in primary cultures of aortic smooth muscle cells. Furthermore, the ability of myocardin to induce expression of smooth muscle-specific genes is abrogated in cells expressing dominant negative Brg1. In SW13 cells, which lack endogenous Brg1 and Brm1, myocardin is unable to induce expression of smooth muscle-specific genes. Whereas, reconstitution of wild-type, or bromodomain mutant forms Brg1 or Brm1, into SW13 cells restored their responsiveness to myocardin. SWI/SNF complexes were found to be required for myocardin to increase SRF binding to the promoters of smooth muscle-specific genes. Brg1 and Brm directly bind to the N terminus of myocardin, in vitro, through their ATPase domains and Brg1 forms a complex with SRF and myocardin in vivo in smooth muscle cells.ConclusionsThese data demonstrate that the ability of myocardin to induce smooth muscle-specific gene expression is dependent on its interaction with SWI/SNF ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes.
Project description:Despite its relatively streamlined genome, there are important examples of regulated RNA splicing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, such as splicing of meiotic transcripts. Like other eukaryotes, S. cerevisiae undergoes a dramatic reprogramming of gene expression during meiosis, including regulated splicing of a number of crucial meiosis-specific RNAs. Splicing of a subset of these is dependent upon the splicing activator Mer1. Here we show a crucial role for the chromatin remodeler Swi/Snf in regulation of splicing of meiotic genes and find that the complex affects meiotic splicing in two ways. First, we show that Swi/Snf regulates nutrient-dependent downregulation of ribosomal protein encoding RNAs, leading to the redistribution of spliceosomes from this abundant class of intron-containing RNAs (the ribosomal protein genes) to Mer1-regulated transcripts. We also demonstrate that Mer1 expression is dependent on Snf2, its acetylation state and histone H3 lysine 9 acetylation at the MER1 locus. Hence, Snf2 exerts systems level control of meiotic gene expression through two temporally distinct mechanisms, demonstrating that it is a key regulator of meiotic splicing in S. cerevisiae. We also reveal an evolutionarily conserved mechanism whereby the cell redirects its energy from maintaining its translational capacity to the process of meiosis.
Project description:Transcriptional activation of yeast INO1 requires SWI/SNF and INO80 for nucleosome disruption at the promoter. However, the cooperative interplay among remodelers and their recruitment dynamics in activation have thus far been vague. Here, we showed, using chromatin immunoprecipitation, that both SWI/SNF and INO80 are present at the promoter and are restricted to the promoter, indicating that they directly participate in localized INO1 chromatin remodeling. Furthermore, both SWI/SNF and INO80 are absent at the INO1 promoter in ino2Delta cells, suggesting that these are activator-dependent remodelers. We have also found that the presence of INO80 is required for SWI/SNF recruitment, indicating that INO80 arrives first at the promoter followed by SWI/SNF. In light of these findings, we proposed a model which describes the order of events in INO1 activation.
Project description:The pediatric extra-cranial tumor neuroblastoma displays a low mutational burden while recurrent copy number alterations are present in most high-risk cases. Here, we identify SOX11 as a dependency transcription factor in adrenergic neuroblastoma based on recurrent chromosome 2p focal gains and amplifications, specific expression in the normal sympatho-adrenal lineage and adrenergic neuroblastoma, regulation by multiple adrenergic specific (super-)enhancers and strong dependency on high SOX11 expression in adrenergic neuroblastomas. SOX11 regulated direct targets include genes implicated in epigenetic control, cytoskeleton and neurodevelopment. Most notably, SOX11 controls chromatin regulatory complexes, including 10 SWI/SNF core components among which SMARCC1, SMARCA4/BRG1 and ARID1A. Additionally, the histone deacetylase HDAC2, PRC1 complex component CBX2, chromatin-modifying enzyme KDM1A/LSD1 and pioneer factor c-MYB are regulated by SOX11. Finally, SOX11 is identified as a core transcription factor of the core regulatory circuitry (CRC) in adrenergic high-risk neuroblastoma with a potential role as epigenetic master regulator upstream of the CRC.
Project description:Germinal center (GC) reaction is crucial in adaptive immune responses. The formation of GC is coordinated by the expression of specific genes including Blimp-1 and Bcl-6. Although gene expression is critically influenced by the status of chromatin structure, little is known about the role of chromatin remodeling factors for regulation of GC formation. Here, we show that the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex is required for GC reactions. Mice lacking Srg3/mBaf155, a core component of the SWI/SNF complex, showed impaired differentiation of GC B and follicular helper T cells in response to T cell-dependent antigen challenge. The SWI/SNF complex regulates chromatin structure at the Blimp-1 locus and represses its expression by interacting cooperatively with Bcl-6 and corepressors. The defect in GC reactions in mice lacking Srg3 was due to the derepression of Blimp-1 as supported by genetic studies with Blimp-1-ablated mice. Hence, our study identifies the SWI/SNF complex as a key mediator in GC reactions by modulating Bcl-6-dependent Blimp-1 repression.