Functional characterization of Caenorhabditis elegans DNA topoisomerase IIIalpha.

ABSTRACT: To investigate the function of a DNA topoisomerase III enzyme in Caenorhabditis elegans, the full-length cDNA of C.elegans DNA topoisomerase IIIalpha was cloned. The deduced amino acid sequence exhibited identities of 48 and 39% with those of human DNA topoisomerase IIIalpha and Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA topoisomerase III, respectively. The overexpressed polypeptide showed an optimal activity for removing negative DNA supercoils at a relatively high temperature of 52-57 degrees C, which is similar to the optimum temperatures of other eukaryotic DNA topoisomerase III enzymes. When topoisomerase IIIalpha expression was interfered with by a cognate double-stranded RNA injection, pleiotropic phenotypes with abnormalities in germ cell proliferation, oogenesis and embryo-genesis appeared. The

SUBMITTER: Kim YC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC103277 | biostudies-literature | 2000 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature