Crystal structures of Sulfolobus solfataricus topoisomerase III reveal that its C-terminal novel zinc finger part is a unique decatenation domain
AbstractDNA topoisomerases are essential enzymes for a variety of cellular processes involved in DNA transactions. Many of the mechanistic insights into type IA DNA topoisomerases have principally come from studies on the prokaryotes and eukaryotes. However, a structural understanding of type IA topoisomerases in the Archaeal is lacking. Here we report the crystal structures of full-length Sulfolobus solfataricus topoisomerase III (Sso topo III) both by itself and in complex with an 8-base single-stranded DNA fragment, which were determined at 2.1 Å and 2.5 Å, respectively. The structures show that, as a member of type IA topoisomerases, Sso topo III adopts a torus-like architecture consisting of a four-domain core region and a novel C-terminal zinc finger domain (domain V). Upon binding to ssDNA, Sso topo III undergoes dramatic conformational changes, similar to those of other type IA topoisomerases. Structural analyses and biochemical assays revealed that domain V is essential for the DNA decatenation activity of Sso topo III. These findings establish Sso topo III as an alternative prototype of type IA topoisomerases to further understand the loop-independent decatenation mechanism in the enzyme-bridged strand passage model.