Escherichia coli topoisomerase IV. Purification, characterization, subunit structure, and subunit interactions.

DNA sequence analysis of Escherichia coli parC and parE, encoding the subunits of topoisomerase IV (Topo IV) (Kato, J.-I., Suzuki, H., and Ikeda, H. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 25676-25684), showed that ParC was 22 amino acids longer on the N terminus and ParE was 29 amino acids longer on the C terminus than reported previously. E. coli strains bearing bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase-based expression plasmids carrying both intact and truncated parC and parE were used to overproduce the ParC and ParE proteins. Full-length ParC and ParE were required to reconstitute Topo IV activity, whereas the truncated ParC and ParE were inactive. Topo IV activity was supported only by ATP or dATP. The ATP1/2 for DNA relaxation was 0.45 mM, almost 25-fold higher than the ATP1/2 for decatenation of kinetoplast DNA. Topo IV activity was inhibited by the quinolone and coumarin antibiotics, although the concentrations required for 50% inhibition of activity were 3-30-fold higher than those required to inhibit DNA gyrase. The norfloxacin-induced DNA cleavage patterns of Topo IV and DNA gyrase were distinct but overlapping. The native forms of ParC and ParE were a dimer and a monomer, respectively; whereas the active form of Topo IV was a heterotetramer, ParC2ParE2. The inactivity of the truncated forms of ParC and ParE could be attributed to their failure to form the heterotetramer.