Sudarsanam P, Winston F
Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Trends Genet. 2000 Aug;16(8):345-51. doi: 10.1016/s0168-9525(00)02060-6.
The Swi/Snf family of nucleosome-remodeling complexes has been shown to play important roles in gene expression throughout eukaryotes. Genetic and biochemical studies previously suggested that Swi/Snf activates transcription by remodeling nucleosomes, thereby permitting increased access of transcription factors for their binding sites. Recent studies have identified additional Swi/Snf biochemical activities and have suggested possible mechanisms by which Swi/Snf is targeted to specific promoters. Surprisingly, studies have also revealed that, besides being necessary for activation, Swi/Snf is required for transcriptional repression of some genes. These analyses have transformed our understanding of the function of the Swi/Snf family of complexes and suggest that they control transcription in diverse ways.
核小体重塑复合体的Swi/Snf家族已被证明在整个真核生物的基因表达中发挥重要作用。先前的遗传学和生物化学研究表明，Swi/Snf通过重塑核小体来激活转录，从而增加转录因子与其结合位点的接触。最近的研究已经确定了Swi/Snf的其他生化活性，并提出了Swi/Snf靶向特定启动子的可能机制。令人惊讶的是，研究还发现，除了激活所必需之外，Swi/Snf对于某些基因的转录抑制也是必需的。这些分析改变了我们对Swi/Snf复合物体功能的理解，并表明它们以多种方式控制转录。
