FACT maintains nucleosomes during transcription and stem cell viability in adult mice

Preservation of nucleosomes during replication has been extensively studied, while the maintenance of nucleosomes during transcription has gotten less attention. The histone chaperone FACT has a role in transcription elongation, although whether it disassembles or assembles nucleosomes during this process is unclear. To elucidate the function of FACT in mammals, we deleted the Ssrp1 subunit of FACT in adult mice. FACT loss is lethal, possibly due to the loss of the earliest progenitors in bone marrow and intestine, while more differentiated cells are not affected. Using cells isolated from several tissues, we show that FACT loss reduces the viability of stem cells but not of cells differentiated in vitro. FACT depletion increases chromatin accessibility in a transcription-dependent manner in adipose mesenchymal stem cells, indicating that nucleosomes are lost in these cells during transcription in the absence of FACT. We also observe activation of interferon (IFN) signaling and the accumulation of immunocytes in organs sensitive to FACT loss. Our data indicate that FACT maintains chromatin integrity during transcription in mammalian adult stem cells, suggesting that chromatin transcription in stem cells and differentiated cells is different.