Biomaterial Database

Bacterial topoisomerases and the control of DNA supercoiling. 1990

K Drlica

Public Health Research Institute, New York, NY 10016.

DNA in bacterial cells is under negative superhelical tension, a feature that facilitates many of the activities of DNA. Supercoiling is introduced enzymatically by DNA gyrase, and the accumulation of excessively high levels is prevented by the relaxing activity of DNA topoisomerase I. Among the factors likely to influence supercoiling are topoisomerase gene expression, the ratio of ATP to ADP concentration, and processes such as transcription that unwind DNA and then translocate along it.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009690	Nucleic Acid Conformation	The spatial arrangement of the atoms of a nucleic acid or polynucleotide that results in its characteristic 3-dimensional shape.	DNA Conformation,RNA Conformation,Conformation, DNA,Conformation, Nucleic Acid,Conformation, RNA,Conformations, DNA,Conformations, Nucleic Acid,Conformations, RNA,DNA Conformations,Nucleic Acid Conformations,RNA Conformations
D004250	DNA Topoisomerases, Type II	DNA TOPOISOMERASES that catalyze ATP-dependent breakage of both strands of DNA, passage of the unbroken strands through the breaks, and rejoining of the broken strands. These enzymes bring about relaxation of the supercoiled DNA and resolution of a knotted circular DNA duplex.	DNA Topoisomerase (ATP-Hydrolysing),DNA Topoisomerase II,DNA Topoisomerase II alpha,DNA Topoisomerase II beta,DNA Type 2 Topoisomerase,TOP2A Protein,TOP2B Protein,Topoisomerase II,Topoisomerase II alpha,Topoisomerase II beta,Type II DNA Topoisomerase,alpha, Topoisomerase II,beta, Topoisomerase II
D004264	DNA Topoisomerases, Type I	DNA TOPOISOMERASES that catalyze ATP-independent breakage of one of the two strands of DNA, passage of the unbroken strand through the break, and rejoining of the broken strand. DNA Topoisomerases, Type I enzymes reduce the topological stress in the DNA structure by relaxing the superhelical turns and knotted rings in the DNA helix.	DNA Nicking-Closing Protein,DNA Relaxing Enzyme,DNA Relaxing Protein,DNA Topoisomerase,DNA Topoisomerase I,DNA Topoisomerase III,DNA Topoisomerase III alpha,DNA Topoisomerase III beta,DNA Untwisting Enzyme,DNA Untwisting Protein,TOP3 Topoisomerase,TOP3alpha,TOPO IIIalpha,Topo III,Topoisomerase III,Topoisomerase III beta,Topoisomerase IIIalpha,Topoisomerase IIIbeta,DNA Nicking-Closing Proteins,DNA Relaxing Enzymes,DNA Type 1 Topoisomerase,DNA Untwisting Enzymes,DNA Untwisting Proteins,Topoisomerase I,Type I DNA Topoisomerase,III beta, Topoisomerase,III, DNA Topoisomerase,III, Topo,III, Topoisomerase,IIIalpha, TOPO,IIIalpha, Topoisomerase,IIIbeta, Topoisomerase,Topoisomerase III, DNA,Topoisomerase, TOP3,beta, Topoisomerase III
D004278	DNA, Superhelical	Circular duplex DNA isolated from viruses, bacteria and mitochondria in supercoiled or supertwisted form. This superhelical DNA is endowed with free energy. During transcription, the magnitude of RNA initiation is proportional to the DNA superhelicity.	DNA, Supercoiled,DNA, Supertwisted,Supercoiled DNA,Superhelical DNA,Supertwisted DNA
D001419	Bacteria	One of the three domains of life (the others being Eukarya and ARCHAEA), also called Eubacteria. They are unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms which generally possess rigid cell walls, multiply by cell division, and exhibit three principal forms: round or coccal, rodlike or bacillary, and spiral or spirochetal. Bacteria can be classified by their response to OXYGEN: aerobic, anaerobic, or facultatively anaerobic; by the mode by which they obtain their energy: chemotrophy (via chemical reaction) or PHOTOTROPHY (via light reaction); for chemotrophs by their source of chemical energy: CHEMOLITHOTROPHY (from inorganic compounds) or chemoorganotrophy (from organic compounds); and by their source for CARBON; NITROGEN; etc.; HETEROTROPHY (from organic sources) or AUTOTROPHY (from CARBON DIOXIDE). They can also be classified by whether or not they stain (based on the structure of their CELL WALLS) with CRYSTAL VIOLET dye: gram-negative or gram-positive.	Eubacteria
D014158	Transcription, Genetic	The biosynthesis of RNA carried out on a template of DNA. The biosynthesis of DNA from an RNA template is called REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION.	Genetic Transcription
D015964	Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial	Any of the processes by which cytoplasmic or intercellular factors influence the differential control of gene action in bacteria.	Bacterial Gene Expression Regulation,Regulation of Gene Expression, Bacterial,Regulation, Gene Expression, Bacterial