Involved in transcriptional activation and repression of select genes by chromatin remodeling (alteration of DNA-nucleosome topology).Component of SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes that carry out key enzymatic activities, changing chromatin structure by alteringDNA-histone contacts within a nucleosome in an ATP-dependent manner. BAF170 is one of the core subunits of the SWI/SNF complex,which is necessary for efficient nucleosome remodeling by Brg1 in vitro. While BAF170 has been shown to be part of the SWI/SNF complexin non-pluripotent cells, it is absent in pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells. Research studies have shown that expression of BAF170 is upregulated in neurons/neuronal progenitors upon differentiation of mouse ES cells with retinoic acid, and exogenous expression of BAF170leads to loss of stem cell pluripotency and self renewal.
