Chromatin is linked to two modes of transcriptional repression in yeast: silencing at the HM loci and telomeres, and repression by the global regulator complex Ssn6/Tup1. In both cases, unique chromatin configurations appear to be orchestrated by multiprotein complexes targeted to particular regions through interactions with specific DNA-binding proteins, such as RAP1, the origin-recognition complex, and alpha 2.