Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143-0448, USA.
Chromatin remodeling is required for efficient transcription of eukaryotic genes. In a genetic selection for budding yeast mutants that were defective in induction of the phosphate-responsive PHO5 gene, we identified mutations in ARG82/IPK2, which encodes a nuclear inositol polyphosphate kinase. In arg82 mutant strains, remodeling of PHO5 promoter chromatin is impaired, and the adenosine triphosphate-dependent chromatin-remodeling complexes SWI/SNF and INO80 are not efficiently recruited to phosphate-responsive promoters. These results suggest a role for the small molecule inositol polyphosphate in the regulation of chromatin remodeling and transcription.