Species-specific supercoil dynamics of the bacterial nucleoid

Biophysics Reviews
N Patrick Higgins

Abstract

Bacteria organize DNA into self-adherent conglomerates called nucleoids that are replicated, transcribed, and partitioned within the cytoplasm during growth and cell division. Three classes of proteins help condense nucleoids: (1) DNA gyrase generates diffusible negative supercoils that help compact DNA into a dynamic interwound and multiply branched structure; (2) RNA polymerase and abundant small basic nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) create constrained supercoils by binding, bending, and forming cooperative protein-DNA complexes; (3) a multi-protein DNA condensin organizes chromosome structure to assist sister chromosome segregation after replication. Most bacteria have four topoisomerases that participate in DNA dynamics during replication and transcription. Gyrase and topoisomerase I (Topo I) are intimately involved in transcription; Topo III and Topo IV play critical roles in decatenating and unknotting DNA during and immediately after replication. RNA polymerase generates positive (+) supercoils downstream and negative (-) supercoils upstream of highly transcribed operons. Supercoil levels vary under fast versus slow growth conditions, but what surprises many investigators is that it also varies significantly between ...Continue Reading

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Citations

Mar 15, 2018·Nucleic Acids Research·Yan YanLaura Finzi
Dec 6, 2018·Nucleic Acids Research·Dmitry SutorminKonstantin Severinov
Jan 18, 2020·Nucleic Acids Research·Matthew J HobsonJames M Berger
May 17, 2017·Biophysics Reviews·Cris Dos Remedios
Mar 16, 2019·Scientific Reports·Samuel M D OliveiraAndre S Ribeiro
Sep 14, 2018·Frontiers in Microbiology·Thøger J KroghChristoph Kaleta

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