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supercoiling |
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supercoiling [′sü·pər‚kȯil·iŋ] (cell and molecular biology) Winding of the deoxyribonucleic acid duplex on itself so that it crosses its own axis; may be in the same (positive) direction as, or opposite (negative) direction to, the turns of the double helix. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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For DNA gyrase, this topoisomerization reaction results in introduction (or removal) of DNA supercoils, thus affecting the negative supercoiling of DNA necessary to initiate DNA replication and remove positive supercoils that accumulate before an advancing replication fork. In fact, the DNA supercoil is a carefully articulated knot that ties itself up according to rules governing its geometry and electrical forces acting on it from the liquid surroundings. They suggest that the degree to which these DNA supercoils tighten and loosen influences which genes are active in a cell. |
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