Torsional stress in DNA limits collaboration among reverse gyrase molecules.

Reverse gyrase is an enzyme that can overwind (introduce positive supercoils into) DNA using the energy obtained from ATP hydrolysis. The enzyme is found in hyperthermophiles, and the overwinding reaction generally requires a temperature above 70 °C. In a previous study using microscopy, we have shown that 30 consecutive mismatched base pairs (a bubble) in DNA serve as a well-defined substrate site for reverse gyrase, warranting the processive overwinding activity down to 50 °C. Here, we inquire how multiple reverse gyrase molecules may collaborate with each other in overwinding one DNA molecule. We introduced one, two, or four bubbles in a linear DNA that tethered a magnetic bead to a coverslip surface. At 40-71 °C in the presence of reverse gyrase, the bead rotated clockwise as viewed from above, to relax the DNA twisted by reverse gyrase. Dependence on the enzyme concentration indicated that each bubble binds reverse gyrase tightly (dissociation constant < 0.1 nm) and that bound enzyme continuously overwinds DNA for > 5 min. Rotation with two bubbles was significantly faster compared with one bubble, indicating that overwinding actions are basically additive, but four bubbles did not show further acceleration except at 40 °C where the activity was very low. The apparent saturation is due to the hydrodynamic friction against the rotating bead, as confirmed by increasing the medium viscosity. When torsional stress in the DNA, determined by the friction, approaches ~ 7 pN·nm (at 71 °C), the overwinding activity of reverse gyrase drops sharply. Multiple molecules of reverse gyrase collaborate additively within this limit.