title: FACT facilitates transcription-dependent nucleosome alteration.
abstract: The FACT (facilitates chromatin transcription) complex is required for transcript elongation through nucleosomes by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) in vitro. Here, we show that FACT facilitates Pol II-driven transcription by destabilizing nucleosomal structure so that one histone H2A-H2B dimer is removed during enzyme passage. We also demonstrate that FACT possesses intrinsic histone chaperone activity and can deposit core histones onto DNA. Importantly, FACT activity requires both of its constituent subunits and is dependent on the highly acidic C terminus of its larger subunit, Spt16. These findings define the mechanism by which Pol II can transcribe through chromatin without disrupting its epigenetic status.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry, Division of Nucleic Acids Enzymology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
authors.forename: Rimma
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Belotserkovskaya
authors.forename: Sangtaek
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Vladimir A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Bondarenko
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Orphanides
authors.forename: Vasily M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Studitsky
authors.forename: Danny
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Reinberg
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D019281:Dimerization; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006609:High Mobility Group Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008957:Models, Genetic; D018832:Molecular Chaperones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009707:Nucleosomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D021122:Protein Subunits; D012319:RNA Polymerase II / Q000378:metabolism*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D013698:Templates, Genetic; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D035602:Transcriptional Elongation Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D006609:High Mobility Group Proteins; D006657:Histones; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D009707:Nucleosomes; D021122:Protein Subunits; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C073537:SSRP1 protein, human; C489489:SUPT16H protein, human; D014157:Transcription Factors; D035602:Transcriptional Elongation Factors; D004247:DNA; D012319:RNA Polymerase II