A tale of toroids in DNA metabolism

Abstract

A strikingly large number of the proteins involved in DNA metabolism adopt a toroidal - or ring-shaped - quaternary structure, even though they have completely unrelated functions. Given that these proteins all use DNA as a substrate, their convergence to one shape is probably not a coincidence. Ring-forming proteins may have been selected during evolution for advantages conferred by the toroidal shape on their interactions with DNA. © 2000 Macmillan Magazines Ltd.