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Topoisomerase

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

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Topoisomerases are enzymes present in bacteria that are able to break DNA strands, pass another DNA segment through the break, and then reseal the break in a manner that alters the supercoiling of cellular DNA or the interlinking of separate DNA molecules.

An example of a topoisomerase in a bacterial cell is DNA gyrase which is unique among topoisomerases in its ability to introduce negative supercoils in bacterial DNA.

DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV are targets for the quinolone class of antibiotics.


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