The HIR corepressor complex binds to nucleosomes generating a distinct protein/DNA complex resistant to remodeling by SWI/SNF

Abstract

The histone regulatory (HIR) and histone promoter control (HPC) repressor proteins regulate three of the four histone gene loci during the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell cycle. Here, we demonstrate that Hir1, Hir2, Hir3, and Hpc2 proteins form a stable HIR repressor complex. The HIR complex promotes histone deposition onto DNA in vitro and constitutes a novel nucleosome assembly complex. The HIR complex stably binds to DNA and nucleosomes. Furthermore, HIR complex binding to nucleosomes forms a distinct protein/DNA complex resistant to remodeling by SWI/SNF. Thus, the HIR complex is a novel nucleosome assembly complex which functions with SWI/SNF to regulate transcription.