Skip to main content
PMC home page
Nucleic Acids Research logoLink to Nucleic Acids Research
. 1981 Aug 25;9(16):3979–3989. doi: 10.1093/nar/9.16.3979

Novel topologically knotted DNA from bacteriophage P4 capsids: studies with DNA topoisomerases.

L F Liu, J L Davis, R Calendar
PMCID: PMC327409  PMID: 6272191

Abstract

DNA molecules isolated from bacteriophage P4 are mostly linear with cohesive ends capable of forming circular and concatemeric structures. In contrast, almost all DNA molecules isolated form P4 tailless capsids (heads) are monomeric DNA circles with their cohesive ends hydrogen-bonded. Different form simple DNA circles, such P4 head DNA circles contain topological knots. Gel electrophoretic and electronmicroscopic analyses of P4 head DNA indicate that the topological knots are highly complex and heterogeneous. Resolution of such complex knots has been studied with various DNA topoisomerases. The conversion of highly knotted P4 DNA to its simple circular form is demonstrated by type II DNA topoisomerases which catalyze the topological passing of two crossing double-stranded DNA segments [Liu, L. F., Liu, C. C. & Alberts, B. M. (1980) Cell, 19, 697-707]. The knotted P4 head DNA can be used in a sensitive assay for the detection of a type II DNA topoisomerase even in the presence of excess type I DNA topoisomerases.

Full text

PDF

Images in this article

3982Image
on p.3982
3983Image
on p.3983
3985Image
on p.3985
3986Image
on p.3986
3987Image
on p.3987

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BERTANI L. E. LYSOGENIC CONVERSION BY BACTERIOPHAGE P2 RESULTING IN AN INCREASED SENSITIVITY OF ESCHERICHIA COLI TO 5-FLUORODEOXYURIDINE. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1964 Aug 12;87:631–640. doi: 10.1016/0926-6550(64)90281-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baldi M. I., Benedetti P., Mattoccia E., Tocchini-Valentini G. P. In vitro catenation and decatenation of DNA and a novel eucaryotic ATP-dependent topoisomerase. Cell. 1980 Jun;20(2):461–467. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(80)90632-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Barrett K. J., Marsh M. L., Calendar R. Interactions between a satellite bacteriophage and its helper. J Mol Biol. 1976 Sep 25;106(3):683–707. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(76)90259-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brown P. O., Cozzarelli N. R. A sign inversion mechanism for enzymatic supercoiling of DNA. Science. 1979 Nov 30;206(4422):1081–1083. doi: 10.1126/science.227059. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Brown P. O., Cozzarelli N. R. Catenation and knotting of duplex DNA by type 1 topoisomerases: a mechanistic parallel with type 2 topoisomerases. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Feb;78(2):843–847. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.2.843. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Champoux J. J., Dulbecco R. An activity from mammalian cells that untwists superhelical DNA--a possible swivel for DNA replication (polyoma-ethidium bromide-mouse-embryo cells-dye binding assay). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 Jan;69(1):143–146. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.1.143. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Depew R. E., Liu L. F., Wang J. C. Interaction between DNA and Escherichia coli protein omega. Formation of a complex between single-stranded DNA and omega protein. J Biol Chem. 1978 Jan 25;253(2):511–518. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Espejo R. T., Canelo E. S., Sinsheimer R. L. DNA of bacteriophage PM2: a closed circular double-stranded molecule. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1969 Aug;63(4):1164–1168. doi: 10.1073/pnas.63.4.1164. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hsieh T., Brutlag D. ATP-dependent DNA topoisonmerase from D. melanogaster reversibly catenates duplex DNA rings. Cell. 1980 Aug;21(1):115–125. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(80)90119-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kahn M., Ow D., Sauer B., Rabinowitz A., Calendar R. Genetic analysis of bacteriophage P4 using P4-plasmid ColE1 hybrids. Mol Gen Genet. 1980 Feb;177(3):399–412. doi: 10.1007/BF00271478. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kikuchi Y., Nash H. A. Nicking-closing activity associated with bacteriophage lambda int gene product. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Aug;76(8):3760–3764. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.8.3760. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kreuzer K. N., Cozzarelli N. R. Formation and resolution of DNA catenanes by DNA gyrase. Cell. 1980 May;20(1):245–254. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(80)90252-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Liu L. F., Liu C. C., Alberts B. M. T4 DNA topoisomerase: a new ATP-dependent enzyme essential for initiation of T4 bacteriophage DNA replication. Nature. 1979 Oct 11;281(5731):456–461. doi: 10.1038/281456a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Liu L. F., Liu C. C., Alberts B. M. Type II DNA topoisomerases: enzymes that can unknot a topologically knotted DNA molecule via a reversible double-strand break. Cell. 1980 Mar;19(3):697–707. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(80)80046-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Mizuuchi K., Fisher L. M., O'Dea M. H., Gellert M. DNA gyrase action involves the introduction of transient double-strand breaks into DNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Apr;77(4):1847–1851. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.4.1847. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Six E. W., Klug C. A. Bacteriophage P4: a satellite virus depending on a helper such as prophage P2. Virology. 1973 Feb;51(2):327–344. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(73)90432-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Six E. W. The helper dependence of satellite bacteriophage P4: which gene functions of bacteriophage P2 are needed by P4? Virology. 1975 Sep;67(1):249–263. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(75)90422-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Tse Y., Wang J. C. E. coli and M. luteus DNA topoisomerase I can catalyze catenation of decatenation of double-stranded DNA rings. Cell. 1980 Nov;22(1 Pt 1):269–276. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(80)90174-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Wang J. C. Interaction between DNA and an Escherichia coli protein omega. J Mol Biol. 1971 Feb 14;55(3):523–533. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(71)90334-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Wang J. C., Martin K. V., Calendar R. On the sequence similarity of the cohesive ends of coliphage P4, P2, and 186 deoxyribonucleic acid. Biochemistry. 1973 May 22;12(11):2119–2123. doi: 10.1021/bi00735a016. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Nucleic Acids Research are provided here courtesy of Oxford University Press

RESOURCES