Scientific article
OA Policy
English

CRISPR screen decodes SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex assembly

Published inNature communications, vol. 16, no. 1, 5011
Publication date2025-05-30
First online date2025-05-30
Abstract

The SWI/SNF (or BAF) complex is an essential chromatin remodeler, which is frequently mutated in cancer and neurodevelopmental disorders. These are often heterozygous loss-of-function mutations, indicating a dosage-sensitive role for SWI/SNF subunits. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating SWI/SNF subunit dosage to ensure complex assembly remain largely unexplored. We performed a CRISPR KO screen, using epigenome editing in mouse embryonic stem cells, and identified Mlf2 and Rbm15 as regulators of SWI/SNF complex activity. First, we show that MLF2, a poorly characterized chaperone protein, promotes SWI/SNF assembly and binding to chromatin. Rapid degradation of MLF2 reduces chromatin accessibility at sites that depend on high levels of SWI/SNF binding to maintain open chromatin. Next, we find that RBM15, part of the m6 A writer complex, controls m6 A modifications on specific SWI/SNF mRNAs to regulate subunit protein levels. Misregulation of m6 A methylation causes overexpression of core SWI/SNF subunits leading to the assembly of incomplete complexes lacking the catalytic ATPase/ARP subunits. These data indicate that targeting modulators of SWI/SNF complex assembly may offer a potent therapeutic strategy for diseases associated with impaired chromatin remodeling.

Keywords
  • Animals
  • Mice
  • Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly / genetics
  • Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / metabolism
  • Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / genetics
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Chromatin / metabolism
  • Chromatin / genetics
  • RNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • RNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells / metabolism
  • CRISPR-Cas Systems
  • Humans
  • Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats
Citation (ISO format)
SCHWAEMMLE, Hanna et al. CRISPR screen decodes SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex assembly. In: Nature communications, 2025, vol. 16, n° 1, p. 5011. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-60424-x
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Identifiers
Additional URL for this publicationhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-60424-x
Journal ISSN2041-1723
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3downloads

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