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Vidmar V, Vayssières M, Lamour V. What's on the Other Side of the Gate: A Structural Perspective on DNA Gate Opening of Type IA and IIA DNA Topoisomerases. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043986. [PMID: 36835394 PMCID: PMC9960139 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA topoisomerases have an essential role in resolving topological problems that arise due to the double-helical structure of DNA. They can recognise DNA topology and catalyse diverse topological reactions by cutting and re-joining DNA ends. Type IA and IIA topoisomerases, which work by strand passage mechanisms, share catalytic domains for DNA binding and cleavage. Structural information has accumulated over the past decades, shedding light on the mechanisms of DNA cleavage and re-ligation. However, the structural rearrangements required for DNA-gate opening and strand transfer remain elusive, in particular for the type IA topoisomerases. In this review, we compare the structural similarities between the type IIA and type IA topoisomerases. The conformational changes that lead to the opening of the DNA-gate and strand passage, as well as allosteric regulation, are discussed, with a focus on the remaining questions about the mechanism of type IA topoisomerases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vita Vidmar
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR 7104, Inserm U 1258, 67400 Illkirch, France
| | - Marlène Vayssières
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR 7104, Inserm U 1258, 67400 Illkirch, France
| | - Valérie Lamour
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR 7104, Inserm U 1258, 67400 Illkirch, France
- Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, 67098 Strasbourg, France
- Correspondence:
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2
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Bizard AH, Yang X, Débat H, Fogg JM, Zechiedrich L, Strick TR, Garnier F, Nadal M. TopA, the Sulfolobus solfataricus topoisomerase III, is a decatenase. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:861-872. [PMID: 29253195 PMCID: PMC5778498 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx1247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2017] [Accepted: 12/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA topoisomerases are essential enzymes involved in all the DNA processes and among them, type IA topoisomerases emerged as a key actor in the maintenance of genome stability. The hyperthermophilic archaeon, Sulfolobus solfataricus, contains three topoisomerases IA including one classical named TopA. SsoTopA is very efficient at unlinking DNA catenanes, grouping SsoTopA into the topoisomerase III family. SsoTopA is active over a wide range of temperatures and at temperatures of up to 85°C it produces highly unwound DNA. At higher temperatures, SsoTopA unlinks the two DNA strands. Thus depending on the temperature, SsoTopA is able to either prevent or favor DNA melting. While canonical topoisomerases III require a single-stranded DNA region or a nick in one of the circles to decatenate them, we show for the first time that a type I topoisomerase, SsoTopA, is able to efficiently unlink covalently closed catenanes, with no additional partners. By using single molecule experiments we demonstrate that SsoTopA requires the presence of a short single-stranded DNA region to be efficient. The unexpected decatenation property of SsoTopA probably comes from its high ability to capture this unwound region. This points out a possible role of TopA in S. solfataricus as a decatenase in Sulfolobus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna H Bizard
- Université Versailles St-Quentin, Institut de Génétique et Microbiologie, UMR 8621 CNRS-Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
| | - Xi Yang
- Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Institut Jacques Monod, UMR 7592 CNRS, 75013 Paris, France.,Programme Equipes Labellisées, Ligue Contre le Cancer, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Hélène Débat
- Programme Equipes Labellisées, Ligue Contre le Cancer, 75013 Paris, France.,Université Versailles St-Quentin, Institut Jacques Monod, UMR 7592 CNRS-Université Paris Diderot, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Jonathan M Fogg
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, MS: BCM-280, Houston, TX 77030, USA.,Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, MS: BCM-280, Houston, TX 77030, USA.,Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, MS: BCM-280, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Lynn Zechiedrich
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, MS: BCM-280, Houston, TX 77030, USA.,Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, MS: BCM-280, Houston, TX 77030, USA.,Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, MS: BCM-280, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Terence R Strick
- Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Institut Jacques Monod, UMR 7592 CNRS, 75013 Paris, France.,Programme Equipes Labellisées, Ligue Contre le Cancer, 75013 Paris, France.,Ecole Normale Supérieure, Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), CNRS, INSERM, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Florence Garnier
- Programme Equipes Labellisées, Ligue Contre le Cancer, 75013 Paris, France.,Université Versailles St-Quentin, Institut Jacques Monod, UMR 7592 CNRS-Université Paris Diderot, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Marc Nadal
- Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Institut Jacques Monod, UMR 7592 CNRS, 75013 Paris, France.,Programme Equipes Labellisées, Ligue Contre le Cancer, 75013 Paris, France
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3
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Kinetic insights into the temperature dependence of DNA strand cleavage and religation by topoisomerase III from the hyperthermophile Sulfolobus solfataricus. Sci Rep 2017; 7:5494. [PMID: 28710489 PMCID: PMC5511271 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-05837-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 05/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
All cellular organisms encode type IA topoisomerases which catalyze DNA topological changes essential for DNA transactions. However, the kinetics of the reaction catalyzed by these enzymes remains poorly characterized. Here we measured the rapid kinetics of template binding, cleavage and religation by Sso topo III, a type IA topoisomerase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus, by using a novel FRET/PIFE-based method in a stopped-flow spectrometer. We show that Sso topo III bound the template rapidly, and the rate of binding was 2–3 orders of magnitudes higher than that of template cleavage at 25 °C. The rate of template cleavage was favored over that of template religation by the enzyme, and was more so at lower temperatures (25–55 °C). Significant template cleavage [(2.23 ± 0.11) × 10−3 s−1] was observed while little religation was detectable at 25 °C. This is consistent with the presence of a higher activation energy for template religation (41 ± 5 kcal·mol−1) than that for template cleavage (32 ± 1 kcal·mol−1). Our results provide a kinetic interpretation for the ability of Sso topo III to relax negatively supercoiled DNA only at higher temperature and offer clues to the adaptation of the reaction mechanisms of thermophilic enzymes to high temperature.
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Chromatin structure and dynamics in hot environments: architectural proteins and DNA topoisomerases of thermophilic archaea. Int J Mol Sci 2014; 15:17162-87. [PMID: 25257534 PMCID: PMC4200833 DOI: 10.3390/ijms150917162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Revised: 08/19/2014] [Accepted: 09/09/2014] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
In all organisms of the three living domains (Bacteria, Archaea, Eucarya) chromosome-associated proteins play a key role in genome functional organization. They not only compact and shape the genome structure, but also regulate its dynamics, which is essential to allow complex genome functions. Elucidation of chromatin composition and regulation is a critical issue in biology, because of the intimate connection of chromatin with all the essential information processes (transcription, replication, recombination, and repair). Chromatin proteins include architectural proteins and DNA topoisomerases, which regulate genome structure and remodelling at two hierarchical levels. This review is focussed on architectural proteins and topoisomerases from hyperthermophilic Archaea. In these organisms, which live at high environmental temperature (>80 °C <113 °C), chromatin proteins and modulation of the DNA secondary structure are concerned with the problem of DNA stabilization against heat denaturation while maintaining its metabolic activity.
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5
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Genome stability: recent insights in the topoisomerase reverse gyrase and thermophilic DNA alkyltransferase. Extremophiles 2014; 18:895-904. [DOI: 10.1007/s00792-014-0662-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2014] [Accepted: 05/18/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Valenti A, De Felice M, Perugino G, Bizard A, Nadal M, Rossi M, Ciaramella M. Synergic and opposing activities of thermophilic RecQ-like helicase and topoisomerase 3 proteins in Holliday junction processing and replication fork stabilization. J Biol Chem 2012; 287:30282-95. [PMID: 22722926 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m112.366377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
RecQ family helicases and topoisomerase 3 enzymes form evolutionary conserved complexes that play essential functions in DNA replication, recombination, and repair, and in vitro, show coordinate activities on model recombination and replication intermediates. Malfunctioning of these complexes in humans is associated with genomic instability and cancer-prone syndromes. Although both RecQ-like and topoisomerase 3 enzymes are present in archaea, only a few of them have been studied, and no information about their functional interaction is available. We tested the combined activities of the RecQ-like helicase, Hel112, and the topoisomerase 3, SsTop3, from the thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus. Hel112 showed coordinate DNA unwinding and annealing activities, a feature shared by eukaryotic RecQ homologs, which resulted in processing of synthetic Holliday junctions and stabilization of model replication forks. SsTop3 catalyzed DNA relaxation and annealing. When assayed in combination, SsTop3 inhibited the Hel112 helicase activity on Holliday junctions and stimulated formation and stabilization of such structures. In contrast, Hel112 did not affect the SsTop3 DNA relaxation activity. RecQ-topoisomerase 3 complexes show structural similarity with the thermophile-specific enzyme reverse gyrase, which catalyzes positive supercoiling of DNA and was suggested to play a role in genome stability at high temperature. Despite such similarity and the high temperature of reaction, the SsTop3-Hel112 complex does not induce positive supercoiling and is thus likely to play different roles. We propose that the interplay between Hel112 and SsTop3 might regulate the equilibrium between recombination and anti-recombination activities at replication forks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Valenti
- Institute of Protein Biochemistry, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
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7
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Forterre P. Introduction and Historical Perspective. CANCER DRUG DISCOVERY AND DEVELOPMENT 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-0323-4_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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8
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Hu J, Guo L, Wu K, Liu B, Lang S, Huang L. Template-dependent polymerization across discontinuous templates by the heterodimeric primase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus. Nucleic Acids Res 2011; 40:3470-83. [PMID: 22189102 PMCID: PMC3333859 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkr1256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The eukaryotic-like primase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus (SsoPriSL) exhibits a range of activities including template-dependent de novo primer synthesis, primer extension and template-independent terminal nucleotidyl transfer using either rNTPs or dNTPs. Remarkably, the enzyme is able to synthesize products far longer than templates in vitro. Here we show that the long products resulted from template-dependent polymerization across discontinuous templates (PADT) by SsoPriSL. PADT was initiated through either primer synthesis or terminal transfer, and occurred efficiently on templates containing contiguous dCs. Template switching took place when the 3'-end of a growing strand synthesized on one template annealed to another template directly or following the terminal addition of nucleotides, and was subsequently extended on the new template. The key to PADT was the ability of SsoPriSL to promote strand annealing. SsoPriSL catalyzed PADT with either dNTPs or rNTPs as the substrates but preferred the latter. The enzyme remained active in PADT but became inefficient in primer synthesis in vitro when temperature was raised from 55°C to 70°C. Our results suggest that SsoPriSL is capable of bridging noncomplementary DNA ends and, therefore, may serve a role in double-strand DNA break repair in Archaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinchuan Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China
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9
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Morales R, Sriratana P, Zhang J, Cann IKO. Methanosarcina acetivorans C2A topoisomerase IIIα, an archaeal enzyme with promiscuity in divalent cation dependence. PLoS One 2011; 6:e26903. [PMID: 22046402 PMCID: PMC3202574 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0026903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2011] [Accepted: 10/06/2011] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Topoisomerases play a fundamental role in genome stability, DNA replication and repair. As a result, topoisomerases have served as therapeutic targets of interest in Eukarya and Bacteria, two of the three domains of life. Since members of Archaea, the third domain of life, have not been implicated in any diseased state to-date, there is a paucity of data on archaeal topoisomerases. Here we report Methanosarcina acetivorans TopoIIIα (MacTopoIIIα) as the first biochemically characterized mesophilic archaeal topoisomerase. Maximal activity for MacTopoIIIα was elicited at 30-35°C and 100 mM NaCl. As little as 10 fmol of the enzyme initiated DNA relaxation, and NaCl concentrations above 250 mM inhibited this activity. The present study also provides the first evidence that a type IA Topoisomerase has activity in the presence of all divalent cations tested (Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Sr(2+), Ba(2+), Mn(2+), Fe(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), Zn(2+) and Cd(2+)). Activity profiles were, however, specific to each metal. Known type I (ssDNA and camptothecin) and type II (etoposide, novobiocin and nalidixic acid) inhibitors with different mechanisms of action were used to demonstrate that MacTopoIIIα is a type IA topoisomerase. Alignment of MacTopoIIIα with characterized topoisomerases identified Y317 as the putative catalytic residue, and a Y317F mutation ablated DNA relaxation activity, demonstrating that Y317 is essential for catalysis. As the role of Domain V (C-terminal domain) is unclear, MacTopoIIIα was aligned with the canonical E. coli TopoI 67 kDa fragment in order to construct an N-terminal (1-586) and a C-terminal (587-752) fragment for analysis. Activity could neither be elicited from the fragments individually nor reconstituted from a mixture of the fragments, suggesting that native folding is impaired when the two fragments are expressed separately. Evidence that each of the split domains plays a role in Zn(2+) binding of the enzyme is also provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raymond Morales
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Palita Sriratana
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Jing Zhang
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Isaac K. O. Cann
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
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10
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Zuo Z, Lin HK, Trakselis MA. Strand annealing and terminal transferase activities of a B-family DNA polymerase. Biochemistry 2011; 50:5379-90. [PMID: 21545141 DOI: 10.1021/bi200421g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
DNA replication polymerases have the inherent ability to faithfully and rapidly copy a DNA template according to precise Watson-Crick base pairing. The primary B-family DNA replication polymerase (Dpo1) in the hyperthermophilic archaeon, Sulfolobus solfataricus, is shown here to possess a remarkable DNA stabilizing ability for maintaining weak base pairing interactions to facilitate primer extension. This thermal stabilization by Dpo1 allowed for template-directed synthesis at temperatures more than 30 °C above the melting temperature of naked DNA. Surprisingly, Dpo1 also displays a competing terminal deoxynucleotide transferase (TdT) activity unlike any other B-family DNA polymerase. Dpo1 is shown to elongate single-stranded DNA in template-dependent and template-independent manners. Experiments with different homopolymeric templates indicate that initial deoxyribonucleotide incorporation is complementary to the template. Rate-limiting steps that include looping back and annealing to the template allow for a unique template-dependent terminal transferase activity. The multiple activities of this unique B-family DNA polymerase make this enzyme an essential component for DNA replication and DNA repair for the maintenance of the archaeal genome at high temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongfeng Zuo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
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11
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Li X, Guo L, Deng L, Feng D, Ren Y, Chu Y, She Q, Huang L. Deletion of the topoisomerase III gene in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus islandicus results in slow growth and defects in cell cycle control. J Genet Genomics 2011; 38:253-9. [PMID: 21703549 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2011.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2011] [Revised: 04/29/2011] [Accepted: 05/03/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Topoisomerase III (topo III), a type IA topoisomerase, is widespread in hyperthermophilic archaea. In order to interrogate the in vivo role of archaeal topo III, we constructed and characterized a topo III gene deletion mutant of Sulfolobus islandicus. The mutant was viable but grew more slowly than the wild-type strain, especially in a nutrient-poor medium. Flow cytometry analysis revealed changes of the mutant in growth cycle characteristics including an increase in proportion of cells containing either more than two genome equivalents or less than one genome equivalent in exponentially-growing cultures. As shown by fluorescence microscopy, a fraction of mutant cells in the cultures were drastically enlarged, and at least some of the enlarged cells were apparently capable of resuming cell division. The mutant also shows a different transcriptional profile from that of the wild-type strain. Our results suggest that the enzyme may serve roles in chromosomal segregation and control of the level of supercoiling in the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiyang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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12
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Bizard A, Garnier F, Nadal M. TopR2, the second reverse gyrase of Sulfolobus solfataricus, exhibits unusual properties. J Mol Biol 2011; 408:839-49. [PMID: 21435345 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2011.03.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2010] [Revised: 03/10/2011] [Accepted: 03/15/2011] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Whereas reverse gyrase is considered as a strong marker of thermophily, the function of this peculiar type IA topoisomerase still remains to be elucidated. The archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus encodes two reverse gyrases, TopR1 and TopR2. This duplication seems to be important because most of Crenarcheota exhibit two copies of reverse gyrase. However, to date, while TopR1 has been well characterized, no characterization of TopR2 has been reported. In this study, we describe for the first time the activity of S. solfataricus TopR2 that appears as a new reverse gyrase. Indeed, in spite of the sequence similarities between TopR1 and TopR2, we evidence unexpected great differences between the two enzymes. While TopR1 exhibits ATP-independent relaxation activity, TopR2 does not, and its activity is strictly dependent on the presence of ATP. Whereas TopR1 is a distributive topoisomerase, TopR2 exhibits an amazing high intrinsic processivity compared to all the topoisomerases studied so far. TopR2 is able to introduce a very high number of positive superturns in DNA, while TopR1 generates weakly positively supercoiled DNA. Finally, TopR2 behaves differently from TopR1 when incubated at different assay temperatures. All the results presented in this study indicate that TopR1 and TopR2 have, in vitro, different activities suggesting different functions in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Bizard
- Université Versailles Saint-Quentin, 45 Avenue des Etats-Unis, 78035 Versailles, Institut de Génétique et Microbiologie, UMR 8621 CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Bât. 409, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
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13
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Forterre P, Gribaldo S, Gadelle D, Serre MC. Origin and evolution of DNA topoisomerases. Biochimie 2007; 89:427-46. [PMID: 17293019 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2006.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 212] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2006] [Accepted: 12/12/2006] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The DNA topoisomerases are essential for DNA replication, transcription, recombination, as well as for chromosome compaction and segregation. They may have appeared early during the formation of the modern DNA world. Several families and subfamilies of the two types of DNA topoisomerases (I and II) have been described in the three cellular domains of life (Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya), as well as in viruses infecting eukaryotes or bacteria. The main families of DNA topoisomerases, Topo IA, Topo IB, Topo IC (Topo V), Topo IIA and Topo IIB (Topo VI) are not homologous, indicating that they originated independently. However, some of them share homologous modules or subunits that were probably recruited independently to produce different topoisomerase activities. The puzzling phylogenetic distribution of the various DNA topoisomerase families and subfamilies cannot be easily reconciled with the classical models of early evolution describing the relationships between the three cellular domains. A possible scenario is based on a Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) with a RNA genome (i.e. without the need for DNA topoisomerases). Different families of DNA topoisomerases (some of them possibly of viral origin) would then have been independently introduced in the different cellular domains. We review here the main characteristics of the different families and subfamilies of DNA topoisomerases in a historical and evolutionary perspective, with the hope to stimulate further works and discussions on the origin and evolution of these fascinating enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Forterre
- Institut de Génétique et Microbiologie, UMR8621, Université Paris-Sud 11, Bat. 400-409, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
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