The SANT domain of Ada2 is required for normal acetylation of histones by the yeast SAGA complex.

Transcription is regulated through chromatin remodeling and histone modification, mediated by large protein complexes. Histone and nucleosome interaction has been shown to be mediated by specific chromatin domains called bromodomains and chromodomains. Here we provide evidence for a similar function of two additional domains within the yeast SAGA complex, containing the histone acetyltransferase Gcn5. We have analyzed deletion and substitution mutations within Gcn5 and Ada2, an interacting protein within SAGA, and have identified substrate recognition functions within the SANT domain of Ada2 and regions of the histone acetyltransferase domain of Gcn5 that are distinct from catalytic function itself. These results suggest that histone and nucleosomal substrate recognition by SAGA involves multiple conserved domains and proteins, beyond those that have been previously identified.