DNA Supercoiling Under High Pressure

摘要

By using supercoiling assays including relaxing supercoiled/nicked DNA by wheat germ topoisomerase I and self-re-ligating linear DNA by T4 DNA ligase, effects of elevated pressure on the conformation of supercoiled DNA were addressed. The shifting behaviors of topoisomers resulting from supercoiling assays and shown by agarose gel electrophoresis indicated that elevated pressure shifted DNA supercoiling toward a more twisted state. Pressure-induced changes in DNA supercoiling have been quantified and are proposed to connect with pressure-induced perturbation of DNA conformation, probably via a channel of volume differencds of supercoiled DNA corresponding to different superhelicities.