The chromatin remodelling complex FACT associates with actively transcribed regions of the Arabidopsis genome

The packaging of the genomic DNA into chromatin in the cell nucleus requires machineries that facilitate DNA-dependent processes such as transcription in the presence of repressive chromatin structures. Using co-immunoprecipitation we have identified in Arabidopsis thaliana cells the FAcilitates Chromatin Transcription (FACT) complex, consisting of the 120-kDa Spt16 and the 71-kDa SSRP1 proteins. Indirect immunofluorecence analyses revealed that both FACT subunits co-localize to nuclei of the majority of cell types in embryos, shoots and roots, whereas FACT is not present in terminally differentiated cells such as mature trichoblasts or cells of the root cap. In the nucleus, Spt16 and SSRP1 are found in the cytologically defined euchromatin of interphase cells independent of the status of DNA replication, but the proteins are not associated with heterochromatic chromocentres and condensed mitotic chromosomes. FACT can be detected by chromatin immunoprecipitation over the entire transcribed region (5'-UTR, coding sequence, 3'-UTR) of actively transcribed genes, whereas it does not occur at transcriptionally inactive heterochromatic regions and intergenic regions. FACT localizes to inducible genes only after induction of transcription, and the association of the complex with the genes correlates with the level of transcription. Collectively, these results indicate that FACT assists transcription elongation through plant chromatin.