Why is eukaryotic DNA underwound, even though eukaryotes lack topoisomerases that can introduce supercoils?
Eukaryotic DNA is underwound or negatively supercoiled
because
Supercoils in eukaryotes are generated by DNA-binding proteins as a
result of transcribing or replicating a segment of DNA, bending,
and these are then introduced by nucleosome core particles, DNA
helicases and polymerases. Like when a RNA polymerase transcribes a
region of chromatin , we never find it rotating with tight helical
part of DNA thus, generating overwound DNA ahead of it and
underwound DNA nehind it so here transcription plays a key role in
generation of DNA negative supercoils. These supercoils are on
surface of histone proteins, and this supercoil is released when
nuceleosome disassemble or DNA is unwrapped.
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