Depletion of SMARCB1 and BRD7, two SWI/SNF chromatin remodelling complex subunits, differentially impact porcine embryo development.

Abstract

SWI/SNF chromatin remodelling complexes are composed of multiple protein subunits and can be categorised into three sub-families, including the BAF, PBAF, and GBAF complexes. We hypothesised that depletion of SMARCB1 and BRD7, two subunits unique to different SWI/SNF sub-families, would differentially impact porcine embryo development. The aim of these experiments was to determine the developmental requirements of two SWI/SNF subunits, SMARCB1 and BRD7. RNA interference assays were used to determine the developmental requirements of SMARCB1 and BRD7 in porcine embryos. Our findings indicate that knockdown of SMARCB1 dramatically reduces embryo developmental potential, with few embryos developing beyond the pronuclear stage. The knockdown of BRD7 had a less severe impact on developmental potential. Our findings also demonstrate that knockdown of SMARCB1 alters the expression of NANOG and POU5F1 (also referred to as OCT4 ). These findings highlight the unique developmental requirements for sub-families of SWI/SNF chromatin remodelling complexes. This new knowledge will enable us to determine how discrete genomic loci are differentially remodelled during key points in embryo development.