The unique capability of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) to maintain and adjust the equilibrium between self-renewal and multi-lineage cellular differentiation contributes indispensably to the integrity of all developmental processes, leading to the advent of an organism in its adult form. The ESC fate decision to favor self-renewal or differentiation into specific cellular lineages largely depends on transcriptome modulations through gene expression regulations. Chromatin remodeling complexes play instrumental roles to promote chromatin structural changes resulting in gene expression changes that are key to the ESC fate choices governing the equilibrium between pluripotency and differentiation. BAF (Brg/Brahma-associated factors) or mammalian SWI/SNF complexes employ energy generated by ATP hydrolysis to change chromatin states, thereby governing the accessibility of transcriptional regulators that ultimately affect transcriptome and cell fate. Interestingly, the requirement of BAF complex in self-renewal and differentiation of ESCs has been recently shown by genetic studies through gene expression modulations of various BAF components in ESCs, although the precise molecular mechanisms by which BAF complex influences ESC fate choice remain largely underexplored. This review surveys these recent progresses of BAF complex on ESC functions, with a focus on its role of conditioning the pluripotency and differentiation balance of ESCs. A discussion of the mechanistic bases underlying the genetic requirements for BAF in ESC biology as well as the outcomes of its interplays with key transcription factors or other chromatin remodelers in ESCs will be highlighted.

胚胎干细胞（ESC）维持和调节自我更新和多系细胞分化之间平衡的独特能力必不可少，有助于所有发育过程的完整性，从而导致成体生物的出现。ESC决定支持自我更新或分化为特定细胞谱系的决定很大程度上取决于通过基因表达调控的转录组调控。染色质重塑复合体在促进染色质结构变化，导致基因表达变化方面发挥着重要作用，这是决定ESC多能性和分化之间平衡的命运选择的关键。BAF（Brg / Brahma相关因子）或哺乳动物SWI / SNF复合物利用ATP水解产生的能量来改变染色质状态，从而控制最终影响转录组和细胞命运的转录调节子的可及性。有趣的是，尽管通过BAF复合物影响ESC命运选择的精确分子机制仍在探索中，但是通过遗传研究，通过ESC中各种BAF组分的基因表达调节，已经显示出BAF复合物在ESC自我更新和分化中的需求。这篇综述调查了BAF复合物在ESC功能方面的最新进展，重点是其在调节ESC多能性和分化平衡中的作用。将着重讨论ESC生物学中BAF的遗传要求所基于的机制基础，以及其与ESC中关键转录因子或其他染色质重塑剂相互作用的结果。