What is the definition of a dominant trait in biology? What is the difference between biology and AP biology? What is the difference between molecular biology and cell biology?
DNA gyrase, often referred to simply as gyrase, is an enzyme that relieves strain while double-strand DNA is being unwound by helicase. It is also known as DNA topoisomerase II. This causes negative supercoiling of the DNA. Bacterial DNA gyrase is the target of many antibiotics, including nalidixic acid, novobiocin, and ciprofloxacin.
DNA supercoiling is important for DNA packaging within all cells. Because the length of DNA can be thousands of times that of a cell, packaging this genetic material into the cell or nucleus (in eukaryotes) is a difficult feat. Supercoiling of DNA reduces the space and allows for much more DNA to be packaged.