The structure and mechanism of the action of type IB DNA topoisomerases

Abstract

DNA topoisomerases responsible for the superspiralization of genomic DNA participate in almost all vitally important cell processes, including replication, transcription, and recombination, and are essential for normal cell functioning. The present review summarizes published data for type IB topoisomerases. The results concerning the thermodynamic, structural, and kinetic aspects of the functioning of topoisomerases and the peculiarities of the mechanisms of their action have been analyzed for the first time. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2010.