Disruption of Smarce1, a component of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex, decreases nucleosome stability in mouse embryonic stem cells and impairs differentiation

The SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex consists of more than 10 component proteins that form a large protein complex of > 1 MDa. The catalytic proteins Smarca4 or Smarca2 work in concert with the component proteins to form a chromatin platform suitable for transcriptional regulation. However, the mechanism by which each component protein works synergistically with the catalytic proteins remains largely unknown. Here, we report on the function of Smarce1, a component of the SWI/SNF complex, through the phenotypic analysis of homozygous mutant embryonic stem (ES) cells. Disruption of Smarce1 induced the dissociation of other complex components from the SWI/SNF complex. Histone binding to DNA was loosened in homozygous mutant ES cells, indicating that disruption of Smarce1 decreased nucleosome stability. Sucrose gradient sedimentation analysis suggested an ectopic genomic distribution of the SWI/SNF complex, accounting for the misregulation of chromatin conformations. Unstable nucleosomes remained during ES cell differentiation, impairing the heterochromatin formation that is characteristic of the differentiation process. These results suggest that Smarce1 guides the SWI/SNF complex to the appropriate genomic regions to generate chromatin structures adequate for transcriptional regulation.