Regulation of SNF2h Chromatin remodeling activity

Most of the chromosomal DNA is packaged into chromatin. The modulation of chromatin structure is essential to cellular process such as transcription activation and repression, replication, and DNA repair. Alteration in chromatin structure can be achieved through covalent or non-covalent modifications of histories. Non-covalent chromatin modifications consist of mechanisms that require ATP-hydrolysis and ones that do not. ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling is performed by ATPase-containing complexes of the SNF2 super family. There are three major sub-families of remodeling complexes: SWI/SNF, CHD, and ISWI. The diversity of ISWI-based complexes is conserved in organisms. For example, in human the hACF complex consists of hACF1 and human ISWI SNF2h; the CHRAC consists of hACF1, SNF2h, and the p15/p17 dimer; the WICH complex consists of WSTF and SNF2h, and the RSF complex consists of SNF2h and Rsf1. ISWI-based complexes have divergent in vitro as well as in vivo activities. It has been hypothesized that the binding partners regulate ISWI activity differently, therefore resulting in varying in vivo functions of ISWI-based complexes. The goal of the work described in this dissertation i