The chromatin-remodeling complexes B-WICH and NuRD regulate ribosomal transcription in response to glucose.

Regulation of ribosomal transcription is under tight control from environmental stimuli, and this control involves changes in the chromatin structure. The underlying mechanism of how chromatin changes in response to nutrient and energy supply in the cell is still unclear. The chromatin-remodeling complex B-WICH is involved in activating the ribosomal transcription, and we show here that knock down of the B-WICH component WSTF results in cells that do not respond to glucose. The promoter is less accessible, and RNA pol I and its transcription factors SL1/TIF-1B and RRN3/TIF-1A, as well as the proto-oncogene c-MYC and the activating deacetylase SIRT7 do not bind upon glucose stimulation. In contrast, the repressive chromatin state that forms after glucose deprivation is reversible, and RNA pol I factors are recruited. WSTF knock down results in an accumulation of the ATPase CHD4, a component of the NuRD chromatin remodeling complex, which is responsible for establishing a repressive poised state at the promoter. The TTF-1, which binds and affect the binding of the chromatin complexes, is important to control the association of activating chromatin component UBF. We suggest that B-WICH is required to allow for a shift to an active chromatin state upon environmental stimulation, by counteracting the repressive state induced by the NuRD complex.