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. 1984 May;158(2):397–403. doi: 10.1128/jb.158.2.397-403.1984

DNA supercoiling in gyrase mutants.

T R Steck, G J Pruss, S H Manes, L Burg, K Drlica
PMCID: PMC215441  PMID: 6327603

Abstract

Nucleoids isolated from Escherichia coli strains carrying temperature-sensitive gyrA or gyrB mutations were examined by sedimentation in ethidium bromide-containing sucrose density gradients. A shift to restrictive temperature resulted in nucleoid DNA relaxation in all of the mutant strains. Three of these mutants exhibited reversible nucleoid relaxation: when cultures incubated at restrictive temperature were cooled to 0 degree C over a 4- to 5-min period, supercoiling returned to levels observed with cells grown at permissive temperature. Incubation of these three mutants at restrictive temperature also caused nucleoid sedimentation rates to increase by about 50%.

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Selected References

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