Affinage

SMARCD1

SWI/SNF-related matrix-associated actin-dependent regulator of chromatin subfamily D member 1 · UniProt Q96GM5

Length
515 aa
Mass
58.2 kDa
Annotated
2026-06-10
48 papers in source corpus 23 papers cited in narrative 24 extracted findings
Cross-family judge vs UniProt: Affinage preferred faithfulness: 7/7 claims corpus-supported (100%)

Mechanistic narrative

Synthesis pass · prose summary of the discoveries below

SMARCD1 (BAF60a) is a non-catalytic subunit of the BRG1-containing SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex that operates as a molecular adaptor coupling sequence-specific transcription factors to the remodeling machinery to control chromatin accessibility and tissue-specific gene programs (PMID:12917342, PMID:26586440). It bridges the SWI/SNF core (BRG1, BAF155/BAF170) to its recruiting factors through at least two distinct interaction surfaces, and engages partners using defined modules including an FxxFF motif that docks into the androgen receptor coactivator groove and a SWIB domain that contacts the p53 tetramerization domain (PMID:12917342, PMID:19762545, PMID:33168186). Through these contacts SMARCD1 connects a broad repertoire of transcription factors—nuclear receptors (GR, AR, the VDR/RXR heterodimer), p53, the PGC-1α coactivator and PPARα/RORα axes, YB-1, MITF, E2a, Nkx6.1, PU.1, Atf3, and NRF1—to target promoters and enhancers, where it both activates and represses transcription and reshapes histone modification and chromatin accessibility states (PMID:12917342, PMID:18303029, PMID:18680712, PMID:21725993, PMID:30515787, PMID:32029232, PMID:35822944, PMID:39232562, PMID:41052246). By directing SWI/SNF to PGC-1α/PPARα and competing PGC-1α/YB-1 inputs, a CAR feedforward loop, and RORα clock elements, it governs hepatic fatty acid β-oxidation, bile acid synthesis, ureagenesis, and circadian metabolic rhythms (PMID:18680712, PMID:21725993, PMID:26586440, PMID:32029232). The same adaptor logic drives lineage and tissue programs: lymphoid versus myeloid fate via E2a, brown/beige adipocyte thermogenesis via PPARγ/EBF2, β-cell glucose-stimulated insulin secretion via Nkx6.1, and macrophage inflammatory restraint and mitochondrial homeostasis via Atf3 and NRF1 (PMID:32404872, PMID:35822944, PMID:37768825, PMID:39232562, PMID:41052246). In embryonic stem cells SMARCD1 restricts pluripotency by regulating H3K27 methylation at developmental loci (PMID:25818293). Human de novo SMARCD1 mutations cause a syndromic neurodevelopmental disorder, and a BAF60a V278M variant that disrupts the Nkx6.1 interaction causes β-cell dysfunction and impaired glucose homeostasis (PMID:30879640, PMID:41052246).

Mechanistic history

Synthesis pass · year-by-year structured walk · 23 steps
  1. 2003 High

    Established the foundational adaptor model: how do nuclear receptors physically recruit SWI/SNF? SMARCD1 was shown to bridge the glucocorticoid receptor to the BRG1 complex via separable interaction surfaces.

    Evidence Co-IP, in vitro interaction assays, dominant-negative truncation and GR mutant in chromatin transcription assays

    PMID:12917342

    Open questions at the time
    • Did not resolve atomic structure of the GR-binding surface
    • Generality of the bridge to other receptors not yet tested
  2. 2003 Medium

    Extended the adaptor role to the vitamin D pathway, showing SMARCD1 selectively recognizes the VDR/RXR heterodimer rather than monomeric receptors.

    Evidence Modified yeast one-hybrid screen, pull-down, reporter assays, deletion analysis

    PMID:14698202

    Open questions at the time
    • Interaction surface on SMARCD1 not mapped to residues
    • Endogenous VDR target genes not assessed
  3. 2008 High

    Showed SMARCD1 couples the tumor suppressor p53 to SWI/SNF, linking the adaptor to apoptosis and cell-cycle control, and mapped the contact to the p53 tetramerization domain.

    Evidence Yeast two-hybrid, Co-IP, episomal reporter, siRNA knockdown, deletion mapping

    PMID:18303029

    Open questions at the time
    • Residue-level interface not resolved at this stage
    • Whether all p53 targets depend equally on SMARCD1 unclear
  4. 2008 High

    Defined SMARCD1 as the link from the PGC-1α coactivator to PPARα, placing it at the center of hepatic fat-oxidation gene regulation.

    Evidence Genome-wide coactivation screen, adenoviral overexpression in hepatocytes and in vivo, ChIP, expression analysis

    PMID:18680712

    Open questions at the time
    • Did not address how nutrient state switches partner usage
    • Chromatin remodeling mechanism inferred rather than directly measured
  5. 2009 High

    Identified a defined recruitment motif: an FxxFF sequence in SMARCD1 docks into the AR ligand-binding-domain coactivator groove in a hormone-dependent manner, giving gene-selective control of AR targets.

    Evidence FxxLF peptide motif screen, Co-IP, FxxFF mutagenesis, siRNA with endogenous gene readouts

    PMID:19762545

    Open questions at the time
    • Basis for target-gene selectivity among AR targets unexplained
    • Whether the same motif engages other receptors not tested
  6. 2011 High

    Connected SMARCD1 to circadian and metabolic gene control by showing it coactivates RORα at clock and gluconeogenic promoters in liver.

    Evidence Liver-specific adenoviral shRNA knockdown, ChIP, expression profiling, serum-shock circadian assay

    PMID:21725993

    Open questions at the time
    • Interplay with the PGC-1α axis at clock genes not yet defined
    • Direct chromatin remodeling at RORE not structurally characterized
  7. 2014 Medium

    Showed the RORα/clock coactivation function operates outside liver in vascular smooth muscle and is PGC-1α-dependent, and links SMARCD1 to suppression of VSMC proliferation and migration.

    Evidence Gain/loss-of-function in VSMCs, expression, cell-cycle and migration assays, coactivation reporters

    PMID:24615205

    Open questions at the time
    • In vivo vascular relevance not established here
    • Mechanism of cell-cycle blockade not resolved
  8. 2015 High

    Revealed a chromatin-level dual activator/repressor role in stem cells, showing SMARCD1 restricts pluripotency by regulating H3K27me3 distribution at developmental loci.

    Evidence Differential chromatin-associated protein assay, LC-MS/MS, ChIP-seq, shRNA knockdown, expression analysis

    PMID:25818293

    Open questions at the time
    • Mechanistic link between SWI/SNF and PRC2/H3K27me3 not defined
    • Direct vs indirect effect on H3K4me3 unresolved
  9. 2015 High

    Demonstrated an in vivo hepatic requirement for bile acid and cholesterol metabolism, defining a CAR/Baf60a feedforward loop driving an activating epigenetic switch.

    Evidence Hepatocyte-specific conditional knockout mice, ChIP, expression, metabolic measurements

    PMID:26586440

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct CAR-SMARCD1 contact not mapped
    • Histone modification dynamics inferred
  10. 2015 Medium

    Placed SMARCD1 under post-transcriptional control by miR-7 and reinforced the SMARCD1-p53 axis as a determinant of chemotherapy-induced apoptosis.

    Evidence Luciferase reporter with WT/mutant 3'UTR, Western blot, siRNA, apoptosis assays

    PMID:26542803

    Open questions at the time
    • Physiological contexts where miR-7 regulates SMARCD1 unclear
    • Single cell-line apoptosis readout
  11. 2018 High

    Reconstituted a direct, SWI/SNF-independent SMARCD1-MITF contact and showed MITF uses SMARCD1 to recruit BRG1 during melanocyte differentiation.

    Evidence Co-IP, recombinant protein pull-down, siRNA, ChIP, melanin synthesis assay

    PMID:30515787

    Open questions at the time
    • SMARCD1 surface contacting the MITF bHLH not mapped
    • Whether other bHLH factors use the same surface untested
  12. 2019 Medium

    Linked SMARCD1 to human disease and neuronal gene programs, showing de novo mutations cause a neurodevelopmental syndrome and the Drosophila ortholog is required for long-term memory.

    Evidence Human exome sequencing; Drosophila mushroom-body RNAi, memory behavioral assay, transcriptome

    PMID:30879640

    Open questions at the time
    • Mechanism by which patient mutations impair SWI/SNF function not defined
    • Mammalian neuronal targets not identified
  13. 2019 High

    Established competitive partner selection as a metabolic switch: PGC-1α and YB-1 compete for SMARCD1 to toggle between fatty acid oxidation and repression of ureagenesis at Cps1.

    Evidence In vivo gain/loss-of-function in mice, ChIP, Co-IP, expression, serum ammonia

    PMID:32029232

    Open questions at the time
    • Structural basis of competitive binding not resolved
    • Signals controlling the partner switch incompletely defined
  14. 2020 High

    Defined a pro-homeostatic vascular role: SMARCD1 recruits BRG1 to NF-κB target promoters, and its loss in VSMCs protects against aneurysm by limiting inflammation and ECM degradation.

    Evidence VSMC-specific knockout mice, RNA-seq, adenoviral overexpression, siRNA, two AAA models

    PMID:32787523

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct NF-κB-SMARCD1 interaction not shown
    • Relationship to its anti-proliferative role unresolved
  15. 2020 High

    Uncovered a dichotomous adipose role: SMARCD1 maintains accessibility at PPARγ/EBF2 sites for brown-fat thermogenesis while restraining beige browning via MC2R.

    Evidence Fat-specific knockout mice, ATAC-seq, expression, adrenergic/ACTH stimulation

    PMID:32404872

    Open questions at the time
    • Why brown and beige programs respond oppositely mechanistically unclear
    • Direct PPARγ/EBF2-SMARCD1 contacts not mapped
  16. 2020 High

    Provided residue-level structural detail on the p53 contact, mapping the SWIB domain interface (Ile315, Met366, Ala388, Tyr390) and revealing it is a weak (~0.3 mM) interaction.

    Evidence NMR spectroscopy, pull-down, KD measurement

    PMID:33168186

    Open questions at the time
    • Functional consequence of the weak affinity in cells not tested
    • Whether N-terminal and SWIB contacts act cooperatively unresolved
  17. 2021 Medium

    Extended the adaptor role to dopaminergic neuroprotection, showing SMARCD1 forms a complex with Six2 to drive GDNF transcription.

    Evidence Interactome MS, Co-IP, ChIP promoter mapping, siRNA/overexpression, viability/apoptosis assays

    PMID:34233203

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct vs SWI/SNF-mediated Six2 contact not distinguished
    • In vivo relevance to Parkinsonian models not established
  18. 2022 High

    Defined an anti-inflammatory macrophage function: SMARCD1 partners with Atf3 to keep proinflammatory genes silenced, with myeloid loss worsening obesity and insulin resistance.

    Evidence Myeloid-specific knockout and overexpression mice, ATAC-seq, CUT&Tag, transcriptome, Co-IP, metabolic phenotyping

    PMID:35822944

    Open questions at the time
    • Atf3-SMARCD1 interface not mapped
    • How SMARCD1 distinguishes repressive vs activating chromatin actions unclear
  19. 2023 High

    Showed a metabolic/protective macrophage function distinct from inflammation: SMARCD1 sustains NRF1 accessibility at mitochondrial genes, with loss promoting plaque macrophage dysfunction.

    Evidence Myeloid-specific knockout mice, adenoviral rescue, NRF1-site chromatin accessibility, mitochondrial assays, atherosclerosis models

    PMID:37768825

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct NRF1-SMARCD1 binding not demonstrated
    • Coordination with the Atf3 inflammatory axis unresolved
  20. 2024 High

    Established SMARCD1 as a lineage determinant in hematopoiesis, required for lymphoid specification through interaction with E2a at promoters and enhancers.

    Evidence Acute conditional deletion in adult mouse hematopoiesis, flow cytometry, ChIP/ATAC, expression profiling, Co-IP

    PMID:39232562

    Open questions at the time
    • Why myeloid/erythroid lineages are spared mechanistically unclear
    • E2a-SMARCD1 interface not mapped
  21. 2025 High

    Linked SMARCD1 to β-cell function and human disease, showing Nkx6.1 partnership controls insulin-secretion gene accessibility and that a V278M variant disrupting this contact causes glucose dysregulation.

    Evidence β-cell-specific knockout, adenoviral restoration, ATAC-seq, ChIP, Co-IP, V278M knock-in mice, human variant, GSIS and glucose-tolerance assays

    PMID:41052246

    Open questions at the time
    • Structural basis of the V278M disruption not resolved
    • Whether V278M affects other partner interactions untested
  22. 2025 High

    Provided structural definition of a druggable partner interface, showing PU.1 binds a YEATS-like domain on SMARCD1 and that small molecules can disrupt this protein-protein interaction.

    Evidence Cryo-EM/structural biology, co-crystal structures with small molecules, Co-IP, domain mapping, siRNA viability assay, HTS (preprint)

    Open questions at the time
    • Peer review pending
    • In vivo efficacy of disrupting compounds not established
  23. 2026 Medium

    Implicated SMARCD1 in tumor angiogenesis and Sertoli-cell barrier integrity, showing it activates VEGFA transcription in ccRCC and is destabilized by CHFR-mediated ubiquitination affecting the blood-testis barrier.

    Evidence ChIP-qPCR/ATAC-qPCR/luciferase and tumor models (ccRCC); CHFR ubiquitination assay and Smarcd1+/- mice (Sertoli/BTB)

    PMID:41872817 PMID:41990863

    Open questions at the time
    • VEGFA promoter occupancy mechanism single-lab
    • CHFR-SMARCD1 ubiquitination site and broader stability regulation not defined

Open questions

Synthesis pass · forward-looking unresolved questions
  • How SMARCD1 selects among its many competing transcription-factor partners in a given cell to specify activating versus repressive chromatin outcomes remains unresolved.
  • No unifying structural/biochemical model for partner selection
  • Mechanistic basis for context-dependent activation vs repression unknown
  • Most partner interfaces not mapped at residue level

Mechanism profile

Synthesis pass · controlled-vocabulary classification · explore literature graph →
Molecular activity
GO:0060090 molecular adaptor activity 7 GO:0140110 transcription regulator activity 4 GO:0042393 histone binding 1
Localization
GO:0005654 nucleoplasm 4 GO:0000228 nuclear chromosome 3
Pathway
R-HSA-4839726 Chromatin organization 6 R-HSA-74160 Gene expression (Transcription) 5 R-HSA-1430728 Metabolism 4 R-HSA-1266738 Developmental Biology 3 R-HSA-168256 Immune System 3 R-HSA-5357801 Programmed Cell Death 2
Complex memberships
SWI/SNF (BAF) complex

Evidence

Reading pass · 24 per-paper findings extracted from the source corpus
Year Finding Method Journal Conf PMIDs
2003 BAF60a (SMARCD1) directly interacts with the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and with BRG1 and BAF155/BAF170, serving as a critical molecular bridge between nuclear receptors and the BRG1-containing SWI/SNF complex. BAF60a possesses at least two interaction surfaces: one for GR and BRG1, and a second for BAF155 and BAF170. A GR mutant (R488Q) that fails to interact with BAF60a in vitro showed reduced chromatin-remodeling and transcriptional activity. A BAF60a truncation mutant (BAF60a4-140) caused chromatin-specific loss of GR function and prevented GR interaction with the BRG1 complex. Co-immunoprecipitation, in vitro interaction assays, stable expression of dominant-negative truncation mutant, chromatin-based transcription assays, mutagenesis Molecular and cellular biology High 12917342
2003 BAF60a interacts specifically with the VDR/RXR heterodimer complex (but not either individual receptor alone), both in liganded and unliganded states, and modulates transcriptional activity from both negative and enhancer VDREs. Modified yeast one-hybrid screen, pull-down assays, transient transfection/reporter assays, deletion analysis The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology Medium 14698202
2008 BAF60a (SMARCD1) directly interacts with p53, specifically at the tetramerization domain of p53 via amino acids 108–150 of BAF60a, mediating recruitment of the SWI/SNF complex to p53 target gene promoters. siRNA knockdown of BAF60a or expression of the N-terminal BAF60a fragment uncoupled p53 from SWI/SNF and repressed p53-dependent apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Yeast two-hybrid, Co-immunoprecipitation, episomal reporter (pREP4-luc), siRNA knockdown, deletion mapping The Journal of biological chemistry High 18303029
2008 BAF60a (SMARCD1) is a molecular link between PGC-1alpha and the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex in hepatic lipid metabolism. PGC-1alpha mediates recruitment of BAF60a to PPARalpha-binding sites, leading to transcriptional activation of peroxisomal and mitochondrial fat-oxidation genes. Adenoviral overexpression of BAF60a in hepatocytes stimulated fatty acid beta-oxidation and ameliorated hepatic steatosis in vivo. Genome-wide coactivation assay, adenoviral overexpression in cultured hepatocytes and in vivo, chromatin immunoprecipitation, gene expression analysis Cell metabolism High 18680712
2009 BAF60a (SMARCD1) directly interacts with the androgen receptor (AR) ligand-binding domain coactivator groove via an FxxFF motif in BAF60a in a hormone-dependent manner. BAF60a depletion by siRNA selectively blocked AR-driven TMPRSS2 expression in LNCaP cells while differentially affecting other AR target genes. FxxLF peptide motif screen, Co-immunoprecipitation with full-length proteins, site-directed mutagenesis of FxxFF motif, siRNA knockdown with endogenous gene expression readouts Molecular endocrinology (Baltimore, Md.) High 19762545
2011 BAF60a acts as a coactivator of RORα in the liver, binding near ROR response elements (RORE) on Bmal1 and G6Pase promoters and remodeling chromatin to an active state. Liver-specific knockdown of BAF60a disrupted rhythmic expression of clock and metabolic genes and altered circulating metabolite profiles. Liver-specific knockdown (adenoviral shRNA), ChIP, gene expression profiling, serum-shock circadian assay in HepG2 cells Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.) High 21725993
2014 Smarcd1 stimulates transcription of clock genes (notably Bmal1) through co-activation of RORα in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), and this co-activation is dependent on PGC-1α. Smarcd1 also inhibits VSMC proliferation and migration by blocking cell cycle re-entry and activating kinase signaling pathways. Gain- and loss-of-function in VSMCs, gene expression analysis, cell cycle and migration assays, co-activation reporter assays The Journal of pathology Medium 24615205
2015 SMARCD1 depletion in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) altered chromatin and enhanced endodermal differentiation. ChIP-seq revealed SMARCD1 is both an activator and repressor enriched at developmental regulators, with its chromatin binding coinciding with H3K27me3. SMARCD1 knockdown caused H3K27me3 redistribution and increased H3K4me3 near TSS, including at the Klf4 locus, suggesting SMARCD1 restricts pluripotency by regulating H3K27 methylation. D-CAP (differential chromatin-associated proteins) biochemical assay, LC-MS/MS, ChIP-seq, gene expression analysis, shRNA knockdown Cell reports High 25818293
2015 Hepatocyte-specific inactivation of Baf60a reduced bile acid production and cholesterol absorption, attenuating diet-induced hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis. Baf60a stimulates genes in bile acid synthesis, modification, and transport through a CAR/Baf60a feedforward regulatory loop and is required for SWI/SNF complex recruitment to enable an activating epigenetic switch on target genes. Hepatocyte-specific Baf60a conditional knockout mice, ChIP, gene expression analysis, metabolic measurements Cell reports High 26586440
2015 miR-7 suppresses SMARCD1 protein expression by binding to two seed regions in the 3'UTR of SMARCD1 mRNA, and SMARCD1 knockdown interfered with the interaction between SMARCD1 and p53, reducing p53-dependent BAX and p21 expression, caspase-3 cleavage, and apoptosis upon chemotherapy treatment. Luciferase reporter assays with wild-type and mutated 3'UTR, Western blot, siRNA knockdown, cell viability and apoptosis assays The Journal of biological chemistry Medium 26542803
2018 BAF60A mediates physical interaction between MITF and the BRG1-containing SWI/SNF complex during melanocyte differentiation. The interaction between MITF and BAF60A required the basic helix-loop-helix domain of MITF, and recombinant BAF60A directly pulled down recombinant MITF in the absence of other SWI/SNF subunits. BAF60A depletion inhibited melanin synthesis and MITF target gene expression; MITF promoted BAF60A recruitment to melanocyte-specific promoters, which was required for BRG1 recruitment and chromatin remodeling. Co-immunoprecipitation, recombinant protein pull-down, siRNA depletion, ChIP, gene expression analysis, melanin synthesis assay Journal of cellular physiology High 30515787
2019 SMARCD1 mutations cause a syndromic neurodevelopmental disorder in humans. The Drosophila ortholog Bap60, knocked down in postmitotic mushroom body neurons of adult flies, caused defects in long-term memory and altered context-dependent expression of genes involved in neuron function and development during a critical window of juvenile adult brain development when synaptic connections are formed. Targeted Drosophila knockdown (UAS-RNAi), long-term memory behavioral assay, mushroom-body-specific transcriptome analysis, human clinical exome sequencing American journal of human genetics Medium 30879640
2019 BAF60a represses hepatic ureagenesis by interacting with Y-box protein 1 (YB-1) to repress Cps1 transcription and switching the chromatin structure of the Cps1 promoter to an inhibitory state. PGC-1α and YB-1 competitively bind to BAF60a, selectively regulating fatty acid β-oxidation and ureagenesis in response to different nutrient states. Gain- and loss-of-function in mice (adenoviral overexpression, shRNA), ChIP, co-immunoprecipitation, gene expression analysis, serum ammonia measurements Molecular metabolism High 32029232
2020 BAF60a regulates VSMC inflammation by recruiting BRG1 (the catalytic SWI/SNF subunit) to promoters of NF-κB target genes. VSMC-specific BAF60a knockout protected mice from Ang II- and elastase-induced AAA formation, suppressing vascular inflammation, monocyte infiltration, and elastin fragmentation. BAF60a also controls CTSS (cathepsin S) expression, preventing ECM degradation. VSMC-specific Baf60a knockout mice, RNA sequencing with pathway analysis, adenoviral overexpression in human aortic smooth muscle cells, siRNA knockdown, in vivo AAA models Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology High 32787523
2020 BAF60a maintains chromatin accessibility at PPARγ and EBF2 binding sites for key thermogenic genes in brown fat. Fat-specific BAF60a inactivation impaired cold-induced thermogenesis in brown fat but paradoxically triggered more pronounced cold-induced browning of inguinal white adipose tissue through induction of MC2R (a receptor for ACTH), revealing a dichotomous role of BAF60a-mediated chromatin remodeling in brown versus beige fat programs. Fat-specific Baf60a conditional knockout mice, ATAC-seq (chromatin accessibility), gene expression analysis, adrenergic/ACTH stimulation experiments Nature communications High 32404872
2020 NMR spectroscopy revealed that both the N-terminal region and the SWIB domain of BAF60A directly interact with the tetramerization domain of p53. Specific residues Ile315, Met366, Ala388, and Tyr390 of BAF60A SWIB domain are involved in p53TET binding. The dissociation constant (KD) between BAF60ASWIB and p53TET is approximately 0.3 mM (weak affinity). NMR spectroscopy, pull-down analysis, KD measurement Biochemical and biophysical research communications High 33168186
2021 Smarcd1 forms a transcription complex with the transcription factor Six2 in dopaminergic cells, binds to the 2840–2933 bp region of the GDNF promoter, and is required for Six2-mediated GDNF expression. Knockdown of Smarcd1 inhibited Six2's effect on GDNF transcription and increased apoptosis of 6-OHDA-injured DA neurons. LC-ESI-ITMS/MS (interactome screen), Co-immunoprecipitation, ChIP (promoter mapping), siRNA knockdown, overexpression, cell viability and apoptosis assays Neuroscience letters Medium 34233203
2022 BAF60a inactivation in macrophages triggers proinflammatory gene expression through chromatin remodeling. The transcription factor Atf3 physically interacts with BAF60a to suppress proinflammatory gene expression. Myeloid-specific BAF60a KO promoted adipose tissue macrophage proinflammatory activation, exacerbating diet-induced obesity, insulin resistance, and metabolic dysfunction. Myeloid-specific Baf60a knockout mice, myeloid-specific overexpression, ATAC-seq, CUT&Tag-seq, transcriptome analysis, Co-IP (BAF60a–Atf3 interaction), in vivo metabolic phenotyping Diabetes High 35822944
2023 BAF60a preserves mitochondrial energy homeostasis in macrophages under pro-atherogenic stimuli by retaining nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1) accessibility at critical mitochondrial genes. Myeloid-specific Baf60a deletion compromised mitochondrial integrity in plaque macrophages, increasing adhesion, apoptosis, and plaque development. Overexpression of BAF60a rescued mitochondrial dysfunction in an NRF1-dependent manner. Myeloid-specific Baf60a knockout mice, adenoviral overexpression, chromatin accessibility analyses (NRF1 binding sites), mitochondrial function assays, in vivo atherosclerosis models Cell reports High 37768825
2024 Smarcd1 is essential for lymphoid cell fate specification in murine hematopoiesis. Acute deletion of Smarcd1 caused lymphopenia with near-complete absence of early lymphoid progenitors and mature B and T cells, while myeloid and erythroid lineages were unaffected. Mechanistically, Smarcd1 interacts with the E2a transcription factor at proximal promoters and regulates distal enhancer activity to activate the lymphoid gene signature in multipotent progenitors. Conditional acute Smarcd1 deletion in adult murine hematopoiesis, flow cytometry, ChIP/ATAC, gene expression profiling, Co-IP (Smarcd1–E2a interaction) Developmental cell High 39232562
2025 BAF60a physically interacts with Nkx6.1 in islet β cells to selectively modulate chromatin accessibility and transcriptional activity of genes critical for glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). β cell-specific BAF60a inactivation impaired biphasic GSIS, causing hyperglycemia; restoration rescued β cell function. A human BAF60a V278M mutation that disrupts the BAF60a–Nkx6.1 interaction was identified and, when introduced into mice, caused β cell dysfunction and impaired glucose homeostasis. BAF60a deficiency also reduced GLP-1R and GIPR expression, attenuating the insulinotropic effect of GLP-1R agonists. β cell-specific Baf60a conditional knockout, adenoviral restoration, ATAC-seq, ChIP, Co-IP (BAF60a–Nkx6.1), human donor variant characterization, knock-in mouse model with V278M mutation, GSIS assays, in vivo glucose tolerance tests The Journal of clinical investigation High 41052246
2025 PU.1 (SPI1) directly binds BAF60A within the BAF complex via a YEATS-like domain on BAF60A. A disordered region of PU.1 adopts a helical conformation upon binding to BAF60A. Disruption of the PU.1–BAF60A interface by knockdown abrogated PU.1's ability to rescue cell viability. Small molecules identified by high-throughput screening can disrupt the PU.1–BAF60A protein-protein interaction by binding to BAF60A at the critical interaction hotspot. Cryo-EM/structural biology, co-crystal structures of BAF60A with small molecules, co-IP, domain mapping, siRNA knockdown with functional cell viability assay, high-throughput screen bioRxivpreprint High
2026 SMARCD1 directly binds the VEGFA promoter, enhances chromatin accessibility at the promoter, and modifies histone marks to activate VEGFA transcription in ccRCC cells. SMARCD1 knockdown reduced VEGFA expression and sensitized bevacizumab-resistant ccRCC models to anti-angiogenic therapy. ChIP-qPCR, ATAC-qPCR, luciferase reporter assays, siRNA knockdown, in vitro and in vivo tumor models BMC cancer Medium 41872817
2026 The E3 ubiquitin ligase CHFR ubiquitinates SMARCD1 in Sertoli cells in response to palmitic acid (PA) exposure, leading to SMARCD1 degradation. Reduced SMARCD1 disrupts blood-testis barrier (BTB) integrity as evidenced by reduced ZO-1 and Cx43 expression. Smarcd1 haploinsufficient male mice showed compromised BTB integrity, and PA exposure further aggravated BTB disruption in these mice. E3 ligase identification (CHFR), ubiquitination assay, SMARCD1 protein stability analysis, Smarcd1+/- mouse model, cell viability assays, BTB marker expression analysis Chemico-biological interactions Medium 41990863

Source papers

Stage 0 corpus · 48 papers · ranked by NIH iCite citations
Year Title Journal Citations PMID
2008 Genome-wide coactivation analysis of PGC-1alpha identifies BAF60a as a regulator of hepatic lipid metabolism. Cell metabolism 150 18680712
2003 BAF60a mediates critical interactions between nuclear receptors and the BRG1 chromatin-remodeling complex for transactivation. Molecular and cellular biology 147 12917342
2014 Epigenetic silencing of miR-490-3p reactivates the chromatin remodeler SMARCD1 to promote Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric carcinogenesis. Cancer research 109 25503559
2008 BAF60a interacts with p53 to recruit the SWI/SNF complex. The Journal of biological chemistry 81 18303029
2015 Differential association of chromatin proteins identifies BAF60a/SMARCD1 as a regulator of embryonic stem cell differentiation. Cell reports 43 25818293
2020 BAF60a Deficiency in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Prevents Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm by Reducing Inflammation and Extracellular Matrix Degradation. Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology 41 32787523
2017 The SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling factors BAF60a, b, and c in nutrient signaling and metabolic control. Protein & cell 41 28688083
2019 A Syndromic Neurodevelopmental Disorder Caused by Mutations in SMARCD1, a Core SWI/SNF Subunit Needed for Context-Dependent Neuronal Gene Regulation in Flies. American journal of human genetics 40 30879640
2015 A Diet-Sensitive BAF60a-Mediated Pathway Links Hepatic Bile Acid Metabolism to Cholesterol Absorption and Atherosclerosis. Cell reports 34 26586440
2009 Functional screening of FxxLF-like peptide motifs identifies SMARCD1/BAF60a as an androgen receptor cofactor that modulates TMPRSS2 expression. Molecular endocrinology (Baltimore, Md.) 34 19762545
2011 SWItch/sucrose nonfermentable (SWI/SNF) complex subunit BAF60a integrates hepatic circadian clock and energy metabolism. Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.) 33 21725993
2022 BAF60a Deficiency in Macrophage Promotes Diet-Induced Obesity and Metabolic Inflammation. Diabetes 28 35822944
2020 hsa-miR-100-5p, an overexpressed miRNA in human ovarian endometriotic stromal cells, promotes invasion through attenuation of SMARCD1 expression. Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E 27 32299427
2020 BAF60a deficiency uncouples chromatin accessibility and cold sensitivity from white fat browning. Nature communications 27 32404872
2015 MicroRNA-7 Compromises p53 Protein-dependent Apoptosis by Controlling the Expression of the Chromatin Remodeling Factor SMARCD1. The Journal of biological chemistry 26 26542803
2017 SMARCD1 regulates senescence-associated lipid accumulation in hepatocytes. NPJ aging and mechanisms of disease 24 28868154
2022 microRNA-99a-5p induces cellular senescence in gemcitabine-resistant bladder cancer by targeting SMARCD1. Molecular oncology 23 35148461
2016 Role of BAF60a/BAF60c in chromatin remodeling and hepatic lipid metabolism. Nutrition & metabolism 23 27127533
2020 Enhanced SMARCD1, a subunit of the SWI/SNF complex, promotes liver cancer growth through the mTOR pathway. Clinical science (London, England : 1979) 22 32514535
2017 miR-223 potentially targets SWI/SNF complex protein SMARCD1 in atypical proliferative serous tumor and high-grade ovarian serous carcinoma. Human pathology 15 29079174
2014 Hyperlipidaemia impairs the circadian clock and physiological homeostasis of vascular smooth muscle cells via the suppression of Smarcd1. The Journal of pathology 15 24615205
2003 Use of a modified yeast one-hybrid screen to identify BAF60a interactions with the Vitamin D receptor heterodimer. The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology 15 14698202
2018 BAF60A mediates interactions between the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor and the BRG1-containing SWI/SNF complex during melanocyte differentiation. Journal of cellular physiology 13 30515787
2012 Nucleoplasmic/nucleolar translocation and identification of a nuclear localization signal (NLS) in Dictyostelium BAF60a/SMARCD1 homologue Snf12. Histochemistry and cell biology 11 22623154
2019 Modulation of chromatin remodeling proteins SMYD1 and SMARCD1 promotes contractile function of human pluripotent stem cell-derived ventricular cardiomyocyte in 3D-engineered cardiac tissues. Scientific reports 10 31097748
2019 SWI/SNF complex subunit BAF60a represses hepatic ureagenesis through a crosstalk between YB-1 and PGC-1α. Molecular metabolism 9 32029232
2023 Tumor suppressive miR-99b-5p as an epigenomic regulator mediating mTOR/AR/SMARCD1 signaling axis in aggressive prostate cancer. Frontiers in oncology 8 38023145
2020 Smarcd1 Inhibits the Malignant Phenotypes of Human Glioblastoma Cells via Crosstalk with Notch1. Molecular neurobiology 8 33190170
2023 Myeloid BAF60a deficiency alters metabolic homeostasis and exacerbates atherosclerosis. Cell reports 6 37768825
2022 Long Noncoding RNA SBF2-AS1 Promotes Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Formation through the miRNA-520f-3p/SMARCD1 Axis. Disease markers 6 35968497
2020 Expression of SMARCD1 interacts with age in association with asthma control on inhaled corticosteroid therapy. Respiratory research 6 31992292
2019 SMARCD1 is a transcriptional target of specific non-hotspot mutant p53 forms. Journal of cellular physiology 6 31637714
2024 Smarcd1 subunit of SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complexes collaborates with E2a to promote murine lymphoid specification. Developmental cell 5 39232562
2022 Epigenetic regulation of BAF60A determines efficiency of miniature swine iPSC generation. Scientific reports 5 35641537
2024 iTreg cells-secreted IL10 alleviates lupus nephritis through inactivating lncRNA HAR1A transcription to suppress SMARCD1-mediated iNOS activation. Autoimmunity 4 39501640
2021 Smarcd1 antagonizes the apoptosis of injured MES23.5 DA cells by enhancing the effect of Six2 on GDNF expression. Neuroscience letters 4 34233203
2021 [Progress in the regulation of energy metabolic homeostasis by the SWI/SNF complex subunit Baf60a]. Sheng wu gong cheng xue bao = Chinese journal of biotechnology 2 33645151
2014 Comprehensive analysis of the association of EGFR, CALM3 and SMARCD1 gene polymorphisms with BMD in Caucasian women. PloS one 2 25396734
2025 SMARCD1 is a dual regulator of PD-L1 expression and cell proliferation facilitating tumor evasion. Pathology, research and practice 1 40228401
2025 BAF60a-dependent chromatin remodeling preserves β cell function and contributes to the therapeutic benefits of GLP-1R agonists. The Journal of clinical investigation 1 41052246
2025 CBX6 induces CD8+ T cell exhaustion and tumor development in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma through SMARCD1-mediated CCL8 secretion and lactate efflux. Cell biology and toxicology 1 41219497
2024 SMARCD1 is a "Goldilocks" metastasis modifier. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology 1 38410477
2024 SMARCD1 is an essential expression-restricted metastasis modifier. Communications biology 1 39390150
2023 Integrated analysis reveals SMARCD1 is a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in skin cutaneous melanoma. Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology 1 37401939
2020 NMR spectroscopy uncovers direct interaction between BAF60A and p53. Biochemical and biophysical research communications 1 33168186
2026 Epigenetic activation of VEGFA by SMARCD1 mediates tumor progression and bevacizumab resistance in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. BMC cancer 0 41872817
2026 Palmitic acid exposure disrupts blood-testis barrier integrity via CHFR-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of SMARCD1 in male mice. Chemico-biological interactions 0 41990863
2023 Retracted: Long Noncoding RNA SBF2-AS1 Promotes Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Formation through the miRNA-520f-3p/SMARCD1 Axis. Disease markers 0 37538086

Missed literature

Know a paper Affinage missed for SMARCD1? Flag it for the maintainers and the community.

No submissions yet.