STATISTICAL-MECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF ENZYMATIC TOPOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATIONS IN DNA MOLECULES

There are two classes of enzymes. DNA topoisomerases and site-specific recombinases, which change DNA topology. Many details of the enzyme action remain unknown. and therefore different models of the reactions require critical testing. A great help n such testing comes from computer simulation. The computational approach, descr bed in the review, allows simulating the distribution of the reaction products for a chosen model of the enzyme action. Comparing the simulated distribution with correnponding experimental data serves as a model test,. The major principles and assumptions of the approach, which is based on the simulation of all equilibrium set of DNA conformations, are discussed. The general consideration is illustrated by two specific examples, models of type II DNA topoisomerases and tyrosine family of site-specitic recombination.