Topoisomerase II drives DNA transport by hydrolyzing one ATP.

DNA topoisomerase II is a homodimeric molecular machine that couples ATP usage to the transport of one DNA segment through a transient break in another segment. In the presence of a nonhydrolyzable ATP analog, the enzyme is known to promote a single turnover of DNA transport. Current models for the enzyme's mechanism based on this result have hydrolysis of two ATPs as the last step, used only to reset the enzyme for another round of reaction. Using rapid-quench techniques, topoisomerase II recently was shown to hydrolyze its two bound ATPs in a strictly sequential manner. This result is incongruous with the models based on the nonhydrolyzable ATP analog data. Here we present evidence that hydrolysis of one ATP by topoisomerase II precedes, and accelerates, DNA transport. These results indicate that important features of this enzyme's mechanism previously have been overlooked because of the reliance on nonhydrolyzable analogs for studying a single reaction turnover. A model for the mechanism of topoisomerase II is presented to show how hydrolysis of one ATP could drive DNA transport.

Kinetic and thermodynamic analysis of mutant type II DNA topoisomerases that cannot covalently cleave DNA.

DNA topoisomerase II catalyzes two different chemical reactions as part of its DNA transport cycle: ATP hydrolysis and DNA breakage/religation. The coordination between these reactions was studied using mutants of yeast topoisomerase II that are unable to covalently cleave DNA. In the absence of DNA, the ATPase activities of these mutant enzymes are identical to the wild type activity. DNA binding stimulates the ATPase activity of the mutant enzymes, but with steady-state parameters different from those of the wild type enzyme. These differences were examined through DNA binding experiments and pre-steady-state ATPase assays. One mutant protein, Y782F, binds DNA with the same affinity as wild type protein. This mutant topologically traps one DNA circle in the presence of a nonhydrolyzable ATP analog under the same conditions that the wild type protein catenates two circles. Rapid chemical quench and pulse-chase ATPase experiments reveal that the mutant proteins bound to DNA have the same sequential hydrolysis reaction cycle as the wild type enzyme. Binding of ATP to the mutants is not notably impaired, but hydrolysis of the first ATP is slower than for the wild type enzyme. Models to explain these results in the context of the entire DNA topoisomerase II reaction cycle are discussed.

Pre-steady-state analysis of ATP hydrolysis by Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA topoisomerase II. 2. Kinetic mechanism for the sequential hydrolysis of two ATP.

In the preceding paper, we showed that DNA topoisomerase II from Saccharomyces cerevisiae binds two ATP and rapidly hydrolyzes at least one of them before encountering a slow step in the reaction mechanism. These data are potentially consistent with two different types of reaction pathways: (1) sequential ATP hydrolysis or (2) simultaneous hydrolysis of both ATP. Here, we present results that are consistent only with topoisomerase II hydrolyzing its two bound ATP sequentially. Additionally, these results indicate that the products of the first hydrolysis are released from the enzyme before the second ATP is hydrolyzed. Release of products from both the first and second hydrolyses contributes to the rate-determining process. The proposed mechanism for ATP hydrolysis by topoisomerase II is complex, having nine rate constants. To calculate values for each of these rate constants, a technique of kinetic parameter estimation was developed. This technique involved using singular perturbation theory in order to estimate rate constants, and consequently identify kinetic steps following the rate-determining step.

Pre-steady-state analysis of ATP hydrolysis by Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA topoisomerase II. 1. A DNA-dependent burst in ATP hydrolysis.

When bound to DNA, topoisomerase II from Saccharomyces cerevisiae exhibits burst kinetics with respect to ATP hydrolysis. Pre-steady-state analysis shows that the enzyme binds and hydrolyzes two ATP per reaction cycle. Our data indicate that at least one of the two ATP is rapidly hydrolyzed prior to the rate-determining step in the reaction mechanism. When DNA is not bound to topoisomerase II, the rate-determining step shifts to become either ATP binding or hydrolysis. Two possible mechanisms are proposed that agree with our observations.

Magnetic field effects on B12 ethanolamine ammonia lyase: evidence for a radical mechanism.

A change in radical pair recombination rates is one of the few mechanisms by which a magnetic field can interact with a biological system. The kinetic parameter Vmax/Km (where Km is the Michaelis constant) for the coenzyme B12-dependent enzyme ethanolamine ammonia lyase was decreased 25 percent by a static magnetic field near 0.1 tesla (1000 gauss) with unlabeled ethanolamine and decreased 60 percent near 0.15 tesla with perdeuterated ethanolamine. This effect is likely caused by a magnetic field-induced change in intersystem crossing rates between the singlet and triplet spin states in the [cob(II)alamin:5'-deoxyadenosyl radical] spin-correlated radical pair.