NURD, a novel complex with both ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling and histone deacetylase activities

ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling complexes are known to facilitate transc riptional activation by opening chromatin structures. We report a novel hum an complex, named NURD, which contains not only ATP-dependent nucleosome di sruption activity, but also histone deacetylase activity, which usually ass ociates with transcriptional repression. The deacetylation is stimulated by ATP on nucleosomal templates, suggesting that nucleosome disruption aids t he deacetylase to access its substrates. One subunit of NURD was identified as MTA1, a metastasis-associated protein with a region similar to the nucl ear receptor corepressor, N-CoR; and antibodies against NURD partially reli eve transcriptional repression by thyroid hormone receptor. These results s uggest that ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling can participate in transcrip tional repression by assisting repressors in gaining access to chromatin.