A novel chromatin-remodeling complex variant, dcPBAF, is involved in maintaining transcription in differentiated neurons

Nataliya V Soshnikova; Asya M Azieva; Nataliya S Klimenko; Alvina I Khamidullina; Alexey V Feoktistov; Andrey A Sheynov; Alexander V Brechalov; Victor V Tatarskiy; Sofia G Georgieva

doi:10.3389/fcell.2023.1271598

A novel chromatin-remodeling complex variant, dcPBAF, is involved in maintaining transcription in differentiated neurons

Front Cell Dev Biol. 2023 Nov 14:11:1271598. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1271598. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Transcription Factors, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
² Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
³ Department of Eukaryotic Transcription Factors, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
⁴ National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute", Moscow, Russia.
⁵ Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
⁶ Department of Molecular Oncobiology, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.

Abstract

The Polybromo-associated BAF (BRG1- or BRM-associated factors) (PBAF) chromatin-remodeling complex is essential for transcription in mammalian cells. In this study, we describe a novel variant of the PBAF complex from differentiated neuronal cells, called dcPBAF, that differs from the canonical PBAF existing in proliferating neuroblasts. We describe that in differentiated adult neurons, a specific subunit of PBAF, PHF10, is replaced by a PHF10 isoform that lacks N- and C-terminal domains (called PHF10D). In addition, dcPBAF does not contain the canonical BRD7 subunit. dcPBAF binds promoters of the actively transcribed neuron-specific and housekeeping genes in terminally differentiated neurons of adult mice. Furthermore, in differentiated human neuronal cells, PHF10D-containing dcPBAF maintains a high transcriptional level at several neuron-specific genes.

Keywords: PBAF complex; PHF10 isoforms; PHF10A; PHF10D; chromatin remodeling; dcPBAF; double PHD finger domain; neuronal differentiation.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant number 21-14-00258 to NS).