The Yeast SWI/SNF Complex
The yeast SWI complex is an approx. 2 MD multiprotein complex shown to be involved in global transcriptional activation most likely by acting through modulation of chromatin structure (for reviews see Ref 1,2,12). The SWI complex from yeast has 11 subunits. Homologus complexes have been described in several other organisms, including flies and mammals.
Colin Logie has prepared a much more informative web-page for the SWI/SNF complex. Go have a look!

Gene Name Aliases Size1 Comments
SWI1 ADR6, GAM3 150 K Has one Cys-4 zinc finger-like motif at C-terminus, and an ARID domain [Pfam], is UV cross-linkable to DNA (3);
The trxG-protein Osa, which also has one ARID domain, may be the Drosophila counterpart of SWI1 (13).
SWI2SNF2, GAM1, TYE3 195 KDNA dependent ATPase, DEGH 'Helicase' domain [Pfam], Bromo domain [Pfam];
Drosophila trxG-protein Brahma
SWI3 TYE2 98 K Contains one SANT domain [Pfam] which is essential for SWI/SNF complex function and each SWI/SNF complex contains two copies of the Swi3 protein (L.Boyer and C.Peterson, unpublished).
Swi3 interacts with the N-terminal D2 region of SWI2 (4). Similarities to ScYFK7. May be Drosophila TrxG-protein Moira
SNF5SWI10, TYE4 102 K Similar to Drosophila SNR1 and human INI1 - HIV integrase interacting protein, and to C. elegans R075E5.3
SNF6 - 38 K -
SNF11 YDR073W, D4411 19 K Interacts with the N-terminal D1 region of SWI2. Non essential (4). Has several repeats.
SWP82 p78 82 K UV cross-linkable to DNA (p78)(3)
SWP73 SWI12 73 K UV cross-linkable to DNA (p68)(3); Essential for SWI complex function (8)
SWP61 p50, ARP7, YPR034w 61 K actin related protein, required for SWI complex function (9). Also in RSC (10)
SWP59 p47, ARP9, YMR033w 59 K actin related protein, required for SWI complex function (9). Also in RSC (10)
SWP29 TGF3, TAF30, ANC1, YPL129w 29 K Interacts with SNF5. Not required for DNA-dependent ATPase activity of SWI complex (10). Also part of TFIID and TFIIF complexes (10). Related to MLL translocation partners AF-9 and ENL.
1Molecular weights of the SWI complex subunits are taken from Ref. 4.

References
  1. Peterson, C.L. and Tamkun, J.W. (1995) The SWI-SNF complex: a chromatin remodeling machine? Trends. Genet.20:143-146.
  2. Carlson, M. and Laurent, B.C. (1994) The SNF/SWI family of global transcriptional activators. Curr. Op. Cell Biol.
  3. Quinn, J. Fyrberg, A.M., Ganster, R.W. Schmidt, M.C., & Peterson, C.L. (1996) DNA-binding properties of the yeast SWI/SNF complex. Nature 279:844-847.
  4. Treich, I., Cairns, B.R., de los Santos, T., Brewster, E., and Carlson, M. (1995) SNF11, a new component of the yeast SNF-SWI complex that interacts with a conserved region of SNF2. Mol. Cell. Biol. 15:4240-4248.
  5. Bazett-Jones, D.P., Cote, J., Landel, C., Peterson, C.L., Workman, J.L. The SWI/SNF complex creates loop domains in DNA and polynucleosome arrays and can disrupt DNA-histone contacts within these domains. Mol Cell Biol 19:1470-1478
  6. Björklund, S., Almouzni, G., Davidson, I., Nightingale, K.P., and Weiss, K. (1999). Global Transcription Regulators of Eukaryotes. Cell 96:759-767.
    A recent meeting review on ATPase-containg chromatin remodeling factors.
  7. Cairns, B.R., Lorch, Y., Li, Y., Zhang, M., Lacomis, L., Erdjument-Bromage, H., Tempst, P., Du, J., Laurent, B., and Kornberg, R.D. (1996) Cell 87:1249-1260
    The yeast RSC complex has several subunits that are homologous to SWI complex subunits. RSC is about 10 times more abundant than the SWI complex.
  8. Cairns, B.R., Levinson, R.S., Yamamoto, K.R., and Kornberg, R.D. (1996) Essential role of Swp73p in the function of yeast Swi/Snf complex. Genes Dev. 10:2131-2144
  9. Peterson, C.L., Zhao, Y., and Chait, B.T. (1998) Subunits of the Yeast SWI/SNF Complex Are Members of the Actin-related Protein (ARP) Family. J Biol Chem 273:23641-23644
  10. Cairns, B.R., Erdjument-Bromage, H., Tempst, P., Winston, F., Kornberg, R.D. (1998) Two actin-related proteins are shared functional components of the chromatin-remodeling complexes RSC and SWI/SNF. Mol Cell 2:639-651
  11. Cairns, B.R., Henry, N.L., and Kornberg, R.D. (1996) TFG/TAF30/ANC1, a component of the yeast SWI/SNF complex that is similar to the leukemogenic proteins ENL and AF-9. Mol Cell Biol. 16:3308-3316
  12. Petersen, C.L. (1996) Multiple SWItches to turn on chromatin? Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev. 6:171-175
  13. Vazquez, M., Moore, L., Kennison, J.A. (1999) The trithorax group gene osa encodes an ARID-domain protein that genetically interacts with the brahma chromatin-remodeling factor to regulate transcription. Development 126:733-742
The table is hyperlinked thanks to: SRS5 - PubMed - Pfam



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This page was generated by Rein Aasland ca. January 1996 Last updated 2-JUN-1999 | pote