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. 1980 Apr;77(4):1847–1851. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.4.1847

DNA gyrase action involves the introduction of transient double-strand breaks into DNA.

K Mizuuchi, L M Fisher, M H O'Dea, M Gellert
PMCID: PMC348605  PMID: 6246508

Abstract

DNA gyrase from Escherichia coli, in the presence of ATP, can both separate catenated DNA circles and unknot knotted DNA. Both these reactions require passage of a DNA segment through a transient double-strand break in DNA. Evidence that transient double-strand breaks are also involved in the supercoiling and relaxing activities of DNA gyrase is derived from experiments showing that the linking number of circular DNA is changed in steps of two. A mechanism is proposed for the action of the enzyme.

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Selected References

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

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