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Nucleosome disruption and enhancement of activator binding by a human SW1/SNF complex

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Abstract

CHROMATIN structure can affect the transcriptional activity of eukaryotic structural genes by blocking access of sequence-specific activator proteins (activators) to their promoter-binding sites1. For example, the DNA-binding domain of the yeast GAL4 protein interacts very poorly with nucleosome cores compared with naked DNA2 (and see below), and binding of other activators is even more strongly inhibited2,3. The way in which activators bind to nucleosomal DNA is therefore a critical aspect of transcriptional activation. Genetic studies have suggested that the multi-component SWI/SNF complex of Saccharomyces cerevisiae facilitates transcription by altering the structure of the chromatin4,5. Here we identify and partially purify a human homologue of the yeast SWI/SNF complex (hSWI/SNF complex). We show that a partially purified hSWI/SNF complex mediates the ATP-dependent disruption of a nucleosome, thereby enabling the activators, GAL4–VP16 and GAL4–AH, to bind within a nucleosome core. We conclude that the hSWI/SNF complex acts directly to reorganize chromatin structure so as to facilitate binding of transcription factors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts, 01605, USA

    Hyockman Kwon & Michael R. Green

  2. Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, USA

    Anthony N. Imbalzano & Robert E. Kingston

  3. Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, USA

    Anthony N. Imbalzano & Robert E. Kingston

  4. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305, USA

    Paul A. Khavari

Authors
  1. Hyockman Kwon
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  2. Anthony N. Imbalzano
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  3. Paul A. Khavari
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  4. Robert E. Kingston
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  5. Michael R. Green
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Kwon, H., Imbalzano, A., Khavari, P. et al. Nucleosome disruption and enhancement of activator binding by a human SW1/SNF complex. Nature 370, 477–481 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/370477a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/370477a0

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