Champoux J J
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Dec;74(12):5328-32. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.12.5328.
Renaturation of two complementary single-stranded circles should be limited by topological constraints against the rewinding of the DNA helix. If a mixture of complementary single-stranded rings is annealed and then treated with the DNA untwisting enzyme, the DNA circles completely renature as judged by (i) the presence of interlocked rings that sediment at 53 S in alkali, (ii) the buoyant density of the renatured DNA in CsCl gradients containing ethidium bromide, and (iii) the resistance of the product to the single-strand-specific S1 nuclease. Therefore, the DNA untwisting enzyme is able to provide a transient single-strand break that is sufficient to allow the two strands to completely rewind. The possibility that the untwisting enzyme might facilitate the initiation of the process of genetic recombination is discussed.
两条互补单链环的复性应受到DNA螺旋重绕拓扑限制的制约。如果将互补单链环的混合物退火,然后用DNA解旋酶处理,通过以下几点判断,DNA环会完全复性:(i)存在在碱性条件下以53 S沉降的互锁环;(ii)在含有溴化乙锭的CsCl梯度中复性DNA的浮力密度;(iii)产物对单链特异性S1核酸酶的抗性。因此,DNA解旋酶能够提供一个瞬时单链断裂,足以使两条链完全重绕。文中讨论了解旋酶可能促进基因重组过程起始的可能性。