Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Cell. 2010 Aug 20;142(4):519-30. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2010.08.001.
Entangling and twisting of cellular DNA (i.e., supercoiling) are problems inherent to the helical structure of double-stranded DNA. Supercoiling affects transcription, DNA replication, and chromosomal segregation. Consequently the cell must fine-tune supercoiling to optimize these key processes. Here, we summarize how supercoiling is generated and review experimental and theoretical insights into supercoil relaxation. We distinguish between the passive dissipation of supercoils by diffusion and the active removal of supercoils by topoisomerase enzymes. We also review single-molecule studies that elucidate the timescales and mechanisms of supercoil removal.
细胞 DNA 的缠绕和扭曲(即超螺旋)是双链 DNA 螺旋结构所固有的问题。超螺旋影响转录、DNA 复制和染色体分离。因此,细胞必须精细调节超螺旋以优化这些关键过程。在这里,我们总结了超螺旋的产生方式,并回顾了超螺旋松弛的实验和理论见解。我们区分了超螺旋通过扩散的被动耗散和拓扑异构酶酶对超螺旋的主动去除。我们还回顾了阐明超螺旋去除的时间尺度和机制的单分子研究。