Essential role of Swp73p in the function of yeast Swi/Snf complex

Swi/Snf protein was purified previously from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as an 11-polypeptide complex, including five novel Swp polypeptides. Here we present evidence concerning the role of Swp73p in the function of the complex. Deletion mutants in the SWP73 gene display phenotypes similar to those of swi and snf mutants, and in addition are temperature-sensitive. Swp73p is required for transcriptional activation by full-length glucocorticoid receptor (GR), but not by all GR derivatives. Swp73p is also required for activation with an enhancer element that binds the transcription factors Swi5p and Pho2p, which may underlie the defects in HO expression observed with swi and snf mutants. A single amino acid change in the protein confers phenotypes that are similar to those observed in the swp 73 Delta strain, but in some cases the two strains behave differently. The extent to which Swp73p is required for assisting transcriptional activation depends on the activator and promoter tested. Homologs of SWP73 are present in S. cerevisiae, Ashbya gossypii, Caenorhabditis elegans, and mice, indicating that SWP73 may belong to a family of related genes encoding proteins with analogous functions.