Presentation Abstract

Presentation Number: SY21-01
Presentation Title: Chromatin remodeling proteins in transcription and development
Presentation Time: Monday, Apr 02, 2012, 1:10 PM - 1:30 PM
Location: McCormick Place West (Level 1), Room W196
Author Block: Trevor K. Archer, Kevin W. Trotter, Ajeet Singh. NIH-NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, NC
Abstract Body: The assembly of DNA with histones into chromatin provides a mechanism to regulate gene expression in time and space. The precise architecture of various DNA regulatory elements within the hierarchy of chromatin structures controls the access and activity of transacting factors, both protein and RNA. Epigenetic marks within DNA and histones allow regulatory information to act during development and across generations. The enzymes that mediate these processes are diverse and multifunctional, capable of posttranslationally modifying DNA and histones as well as remodeling the chromatin architecture. Among these enzymes the human SWI/SNF or BRG1 remodeling complex is particularly important with clear roles in signal transduction, development and cancer. In the presentation I will describe our recent work on the detailed mechanism of action of the BRG1 complex in gene expression and during early development in the mouse. We focus on the contribution that sub-domains in the BRG1 N terminus makes if protein partners outside the normal BRG1 associated Factors (BAFs) to initiate steroid receptor mediated transcription. Studies of the complex during development highlight the roles of individual BAF proteins and their contribution to organogenesis. These findings highlight the intimate connections between chromatin remodeling and epigenetics for normal healthy development.