Untangling the Double Helix DNA Entanglement and the Action of the DNA Topoisomerases

by Wang, James C.

• ISBN13: 9780879698799
• ISBN10: 0879698799
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-04-10
• Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press

Summary

This book, written by James Wang, the discoverer of the first topoisomerase and a leader in the field since, presents ten chapters covering the historical backdrop of the DNA entanglement problem and the discovery of the DNA topoisomerases, how DNA topoisomerases perform their magic in DNA replication, transcription, genetic recombination and chromosome condensation, and how they are targets of therapeutic agents. The book should appeal to readers from undergraduates upwards with interests in the biological and clinical aspects of topoisomerase function, or in the mathematics and physics of topology.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
An Insuperable Problem	p. 1
Nature's Solutions: The DNA Topoisomerases	p. 15
Breaking a DNA Strand and Holding on to the Broken Ends	p. 31
A Magic Swivel	p. 55
Moving One DNA Double Helix through Another	p. 71
Real-Time Viewing of the DNA Topoisomerases in Action	p. 101
Manifestations of DNA Entanglement: Replication and Recombination	p. 123
Manifestations of DNA Entanglement: Gene Expression	p. 149
Beyond DNA Entanglement: New Twists on an Old Theme	p. 165
From Nature's Battlefields to the Clinical Wards	p. 185
Identification of the Covalent Intermediates in Topoisomerase-Catalyzed Reactions	p. 211
Catalysis of DNA Breakage and Rejoining by DNA Topoisomerases	p. 217
Index	p. 223
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