Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Zhang H
PROVIDER: S-EPMC407812 | biostudies-literature | 2004
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Zhang Hongliang H Meng Ling-Hua LH Zimonjic Drazen B DB Popescu Nicholas C NC Pommier Yves Y
Nucleic acids research 20040419 7
DNA topoisomerases contribute to various cellular activities that involve DNA. We previously identified a human nuclear gene that encodes a mitochondrial DNA topoisomerase. Here we show that genes for mitochondrial DNA topoisomerases (type IB) exist only in vertebrates. A 13-exon topoisomerase motif was identified as a characteristic of genes for both nuclear and mitochondrial type IB topoisomerases. The presence of this signature motif is thus an indicator of the coexistence of nuclear and mito ...[more]