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In the preceding paper, we showed that DNA topoisomerase II from Saccharomyces cerevisiae binds two ATP and rapidly hydrolyzes at least one of them before encountering a slow step in the reaction mechanism. These data are potentially consistent with two different types of reaction pathways: (1) sequential ATP hydrolysis or (2) simultaneous hydrolysis of both ATP. Here, we present results that are consistent only with topoisomerase II hydrolyzing its two bound ATP sequentially. Additionally, these results indicate that the products of the first hydrolysis are released from the enzyme before the second ATP is hydrolyzed. Release of products from both the first and second hydrolyses contributes to the rate-determining process. The proposed mechanism for ATP hydrolysis by topoisomerase II is complex, having nine rate constants. To calculate values for each of these rate constants, a technique of kinetic parameter estimation was developed. This technique involved using singular perturbation theory in order to estimate rate constants, and consequently identify kinetic steps following the rate-determining step.
Harkins et al. (Thu,) studied this question.