Association of BAF53 with mitotic chromosomes.

The conversion of mitotic chromosome into interphase chromatin consists of at least two separate processes, the decondensation of the mitotic chromosome and the formation of the higher-order structure of interphase chromatin. Previously, we showed that depletion of BAF53 led to the expansion of chromosome territories and decompaction of the chromatin, suggesting that BAF53 plays an essential role in the formation of higher-order chromatin structure. We report here that BAF53 is associated with mitotic chromosomes during mitosis.

Shp2 is involved in neuronal differentiation of hippocampal precursor cells.

HiB5 is a multipotent hippocampal stem cell line whose differentiation into cells of a neuronal phenotype is promoted by neurotrophic factors such as PDGF and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). We examined the potential role of Src homology 2 (SH2)-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase (Shp2) in this differentiation process. We found that Shp2 became tyrosine phosphorylated following PDGF treatment.

Cytoplasmic localization and nucleo-cytoplasmic shuttling of BAF53, a component of chromatin-modifying complexes.

BAF53 (also known as ArpNbeta) is a nuclear arp that is a component of a number of chromatin-modifying complexes, such as the SWI/SNF and TRRAP complexes. These complexes play specific roles in chromatin remodeling and transcription. Previous studies have suggested that BAF53 is localized exclusively in the nucleus in HeLa and SW-13 cells.