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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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These enzymes control the degree of supercoiling and are required for undoing knots and tangles in the genetic material. Any breaks present in the DNA cause the supercoiling to relax locally, and negatively charged loops of DNA are then free to extend and migrate in the electric field toward the anode as a "comet tail. 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. |
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