SMARCA4 Gene: SWI/SNF-Related, Matrix-Associated, Actin-Dependent Regulator of Chromatin, Subfamily A, Member 4

A critical chromatin remodeler implicated in cancer and neurodevelopmental disorders

Gene Information Card

Symbol SMARCA4
Full Name SWI/SNF related, matrix associated, actin dependent regulator of chromatin, subfamily a, member 4
Gene Type protein coding
Chromosomal Location 19p13.2
NCBI Gene ID 6597 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/6597
Ensembl ID ENSG00000127616
UniProt ID P51532
OMIM ID 603254
HGNC ID 11100
Aliases BRG1, BAF190, SNF2L4, SWI2, hSNF2b, MRD16, RTPS2

Description

SMARCA4 encodes BRG1, a catalytic subunit of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex. This ATPase uses energy from ATP hydrolysis to alter nucleosome structure, thereby regulating gene expression, DNA repair, and cell cycle control. SMARCA4 is a tumor suppressor frequently mutated in various cancers, and germline mutations cause neurodevelopmental disorders such as Coffin-Siris syndrome.

Disease Associations

Disease category Pathophysiological mechanism Genomic evidence
Small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type (SCCOHT) Biallelic inactivating mutations (loss of function) leading to loss of BRG1 protein expression Somatic and germline mutations; loss of BRG1 expression by immunohistochemistry is a diagnostic marker (source: OMIM, COSMIC)
Malignant rhabdoid tumors (MRT) Inactivating mutations or deletions causing loss of BRG1 function Somatic mutations; SMARCA4 loss is a hallmark of extra-cranial rhabdoid tumors (source: COSMIC, ClinVar)
Coffin-Siris syndrome (CSS) Heterozygous germline loss-of-function mutations (dominant negative or haploinsufficiency) Pathogenic variants reported in ClinVar; OMIM #603254
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) Somatic inactivating mutations (frameshift, nonsense, splice site) leading to loss of tumor suppressor function Recurrent mutations in lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma (source: COSMIC)
Colorectal cancer Somatic mutations, often with microsatellite instability COSMIC database; SMARCA4 mutations are frequent in MSI-high tumors
Neurodevelopmental delay/intellectual disability Germline missense or truncating mutations affecting chromatin remodeling activity ClinVar and OMIM entries for MRD16 (Mental retardation, autosomal dominant 16)

Expression Profile

Tissue Expression
Tissue nTPM level
Testis 20.1 High
Brain (cerebellum) 15.3 Medium
Lung 12.8 Medium
Liver 10.5 Medium
Kidney 9.7 Low
Heart 8.2 Low
Cell Line Expression
Cell Line nTPM Notes
A549 (lung carcinoma) 25.4 High expression; used in SMARCA4 studies
HeLa (cervical adenocarcinoma) 18.7 Moderate expression
MCF7 (breast cancer) 15.2 Moderate expression
K562 (leukemia) 12.3 Low expression
HepG2 (hepatocellular carcinoma) 10.8 Low expression
Data source:Human Protein Atlas(proteinatlas.org)

Mutations & Variants

Hotspot Mutations
Variant Type Frequency Functional Description
p.Arg1192Ter Nonsense ~2% in SCCOHT Loss of function; truncates protein, leading to loss of ATPase domain
p.Glu861Lys Missense Rare in CSS Dominant negative; affects ATPase activity
c.2034+1G>A Splice site ~1% in NSCLC Loss of function; aberrant splicing, reduced protein
p.Leu1084Pro Missense Rare in CSS Dominant negative; disrupts helicase domain
p.Arg974Trp Missense Rare in MRT Loss of function; affects DNA binding
Mutation functional classification

Loss of Function (LOF)

Most common in cancer (SCCOHT, MRT, NSCLC). Includes nonsense, frameshift, splice-site mutations leading to truncated or absent protein, resulting in loss of chromatin remodeling activity.

Gain of Function (GOF)

Rare; some missense mutations may confer oncogenic properties, but evidence is limited. Not well-documented in SMARCA4.

Dominant Negative (DN)

Observed in Coffin-Siris syndrome; missense mutations in the ATPase domain can interfere with the function of the wild-type allele, exerting a dominant-negative effect.

Gene Ontology (GO)

• ATP binding • DNA binding
• Helicase activity • Chromatin binding
• Nucleosome remodeling • Transcription regulation
• DNA repair • Cell cycle

Pathways

SWI/SNF complex pathway
Chromatin remodeling
p53 signaling
Cell cycle checkpoints
DNA damage response

Protein Summary

BRG1 (SMARCA4) is a 1647-amino acid protein containing a helicase/ATPase domain and a bromodomain. It is the catalytic core of the SWI/SNF complex, which uses ATP to remodel nucleosomes, thereby regulating transcription. BRG1 interacts with various transcription factors and tumor suppressors, including RB1 and p53. Loss of BRG1 function is oncogenic, and its expression is a diagnostic marker in certain cancers.

Related Products

Product name Cat.No. Species Gene ID
SMARCA4 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line EDJ-KQ15359 Human 6597 Details Get a Quote
SMARCA4 Knockout HeLa Cell Line EDJ-KQ18175 Human 6597 Details Get a Quote
SMARCA4 Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line EDJ-KQ46095 Human 6597 Details Get a Quote
SMARCA4 Knockout A-549 Cell Line EDJ-KQ44863 Human 6597 Details Get a Quote
Smarca4 Knockout 4T1 Cell Line EDJ-KZ48 Mouse 20586 Details Get a Quote
SMARCA4 Knockout Hep-G2 Cell Line EDJ-KZ480 Human 6597 Details Get a Quote
Smarca4 Knockout ID8 Cell Line EDJ-KZ481 Mouse 20586 Details Get a Quote
Displaying Records 1 To 7 Of 7 Records
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