Swi3p controls SWI/SNF assembly and ATP-dependent H2A-H2B displacement

Yeast SWI/SNF is a multisubunit, 1.14-MDa ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling enzyme required for transcription of a subset of inducible genes. Biochemical studies have demonstrated that SWI/SNF uses the energy from ATP hydrolysis to generate superhelical torsion, mobilize mononucleosomes, enhance the accessibility of nucleosomal DNA and remove H2A-H2B dimers from mononucleosomes. Here we describe the ATP-dependent activities of a SWI/SNF subcomplex that is composed of only three subunits, Swi2p, Arp7p and Arp9p. Whereas this subcomplex is fully functional in most remodeling assays, Swi2p - Arp7p - Arp9p is defective for ATP-dependent removal of H2A-H2B dimers. We identify the acidic N terminus of the Swi3p subunit as a novel H2A-H2B-binding domain required for ATP-dependent dimer loss. Our data indicate that H2A-H2B dimer loss is not an obligatory consequence of ATP-dependent DNA translocation, and furthermore they suggest that SWI/SNF is composed of at least four interdependent modules.