Biomaterial Database

Strand-specific supercoiled DNA-protein relaxation complexes: comparison of the complexes of bacterial plasmids ColE1 and ColE2. 1971

D G Blair, and D B Clewell, and D J Sheratt, and D R Helinski

Certain bacterial plasmids can be isolated as unique complexes of supercoiled circular DNA and protein. These complexes are distinguished by the conversion of the supercoiled DNA to the relaxed or open-circular DNA form upon treatment with ionic detergents, proteases, or alkali. This report demonstrates that the open-circular DNA resulting from the pronase-induced relaxation of the complexes of colicinogenic factors E(1) (ColE(1)) and E(2) (ColE(2)) possesses a strand-specific break. In each case this break is found in the heavy strand of the DNA as defined by CsCl centrifugation in the presence of poly(U,G). In addition, the ColE(1) and ColE(2) complexes exhibit certain properties that are plasmid specific. Heat treatment, and to a lesser extent pronase treatment, inactivates the ColE(2) complex, making it insensitive to agents that formerly were capable of inducing relaxation (conversion of the DNA to the open-circular form). In contrast, the ColE(1) complex is not inactivated by these treatments. The potential role of these strand-specific relaxation complexes in DNA replication is discussed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009691	Nucleic Acid Denaturation	Disruption of the secondary structure of nucleic acids by heat, extreme pH or chemical treatment. Double strand DNA is "melted" by dissociation of the non-covalent hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. Denatured DNA appears to be a single-stranded flexible structure. The effects of denaturation on RNA are similar though less pronounced and largely reversible.	DNA Denaturation,DNA Melting,RNA Denaturation,Acid Denaturation, Nucleic,Denaturation, DNA,Denaturation, Nucleic Acid,Denaturation, RNA,Nucleic Acid Denaturations
D010447	Peptide Hydrolases	Hydrolases that specifically cleave the peptide bonds found in PROTEINS and PEPTIDES. Examples of sub-subclasses for this group include EXOPEPTIDASES and ENDOPEPTIDASES.	Peptidase,Peptidases,Peptide Hydrolase,Protease,Proteases,Proteinase,Proteinases,Proteolytic Enzyme,Proteolytic Enzymes,Esteroproteases,Enzyme, Proteolytic,Hydrolase, Peptide
D010710	Phosphates	Inorganic salts of phosphoric acid.	Inorganic Phosphate,Phosphates, Inorganic,Inorganic Phosphates,Orthophosphate,Phosphate,Phosphate, Inorganic
D010759	Phosphorus Isotopes	Stable phosphorus atoms that have the same atomic number as the element phosphorus, but differ in atomic weight. P-31 is a stable phosphorus isotope.	Isotopes, Phosphorus
D011119	Polynucleotides	BIOPOLYMERS composed of NUCLEOTIDES covalently bonded in a chain. The most common examples are DNA and RNA chains.	Polynucleotide
D002247	Carbon Isotopes	Stable carbon atoms that have the same atomic number as the element carbon but differ in atomic weight. C-13 is a stable carbon isotope.	Carbon Isotope,Isotope, Carbon,Isotopes, Carbon
D002499	Centrifugation, Density Gradient	Separation of particles according to density by employing a gradient of varying densities. At equilibrium each particle settles in the gradient at a point equal to its density. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed)	Centrifugations, Density Gradient,Density Gradient Centrifugation,Density Gradient Centrifugations,Gradient Centrifugation, Density,Gradient Centrifugations, Density
D003087	Colicins	Bacteriocins elaborated by strains of Escherichia coli and related species. They are proteins or protein-lipopolysaccharide complexes lethal to other strains of the same species.	Colicin,Colicin E9,Colicine,Colicines,Colicin A,Colicin B,Colicin E,Colicin E1,Colicin E2,Colicin E3,Colicin E8,Colicin HSC10,Colicin Ia,Colicin Ib,Colicin K,Colicin K-K235,Colicin M,Colicin N,Colicin V,Colicins E,Colicins E9,Precolicin E1,Colicin K K235,E9, Colicin
D004261	DNA Replication	The process by which a DNA molecule is duplicated.	Autonomous Replication,Replication, Autonomous,Autonomous Replications,DNA Replications,Replication, DNA,Replications, Autonomous,Replications, DNA
D004269	DNA, Bacterial	Deoxyribonucleic acid that makes up the genetic material of bacteria.	Bacterial DNA