Depletion of RNase HI activity in Escherichia coli lacking DNA topoisomerase I leads to defects in DNA supercoiling and segregation.

Gyrase-mediated hypernegative supercoiling is one manifestation of R-loop formation, a phenomenon that is normally suppressed by topoisomerase I (topA) in Escherichia coli. Overproduction of RNase HI (rnhA), an enzyme that removes the RNA moiety of R-loops, prevents hypernegative supercoiling and allows growth of topA null mutants. We previously showed that topA and rnhA null mutations are incompatible. We now report that such mutants were viable when RNase HI or topoisomerase III was expressed from a plasmid-borne gene. Surprisingly, DNA of topA null mutants became relaxed rather than hypernegatively supercoiled following depletion of RNase HI activity. This result failed to correlate with the cellular concentration of gyrase or topoisomerase IV (the other relaxing enzyme in the cell) or with transcription-induced supercoiling. Rather, intracellular DNA relaxation in the absence of RNase HI was related to inhibition of gyrase activity both in vivo and in extracts. Cells lacking topA and rnhA also exhibited properties consistent with segregation defects. Overproduction of topoisomerase III, an enzyme that can carry out DNA decatenation, corrected the segregation defects without restoring supercoiling activity. Collectively these data reveal (i) the existence of a cellular response to loss of RNase HI that counters the supercoiling activity of gyrase, and (ii) supercoiling-independent segregation defects due to loss of RNase HI from topA null mutants. Thus RNase HI plays a more central role in DNA topology than previously thought.

The problem of hypernegative supercoiling and R-loop formation in transcription.

DNA supercoiling and topoisomerases have long been known to affect transcription initiation. In many studies, topA mutants were used to perturb chromosomal supercoiling. Although such studies clearly revealed that supercoiling could significantly affect gene expression, they did not tell much about the essential function(s) of DNA topoisomerase I, encoded by topA. Indeed, the topA mutants used in these studies were growing relatively well, although this gene is normally essential for growth. These mutants were either carrying a topA allele with enough residual activity to permit growth, or if deleted for the topA gene, they were carrying a compensatory mutation allowing them to grow. We have recently used a set of isogenic strains carrying a conditional gyrB mutation that allowed us to study the real effects of losing topoisomerase I activity on cell physiology. The results of our work show that an essential function of topoisomerase I is related to transcription, more precisely to inhibit R-loop formation. This is in agreement with a series of biochemical studies that revealed a role for topoisomerase I in inhibiting R-loop formation during transcription in the presence of DNA gyrase. In addition, our studies may have revealed an important role for DNA supercoiling in modulating gene expression, not only at the level of transcription initiation but also during elongation. In this paper, we will first discuss global and local supercoiling, then we will address the topic of R-loop formation and finally, we will review the subject of hypersupercoiling and R-loop formation in gene expression. Whenever possible, we will try to make correlations with growth phenotypes, since such correlations reveal the essential function of DNA topoisomerase I.

Effects of RNA polymerase modifications on transcription-induced negative supercoiling and associated R-loop formation.

Transcription in the absence of topoisomerase I, but in the presence of DNA gyrase, can result in the formation of hypernegatively supercoiled DNA and associated R-loops. In this paper, we have used several strategies to study the effects of elongation/termination properties of RNA polymerase on such transcription-induced supercoiling. Effects on R-loop formation were exacerbated when cells were exposed to translation inhibitors, a condition that stimulated the accumulation of R-loop-dependent hypernegative supercoiling. Translation inhibitors were not acting by decreasing (p)ppGpp levels as the absence of (p)ppGpp in spoT relA mutant strains had little effect on hypernegative supercoiling. However, an rpoB mutation leading to the accumulation of truncated RNAs considerably reduced R-loop-dependent hypernegative supercoiling. Transcription of an rrnB fragment preceded by a mutated and inactive boxA sequence to abolish the rrnB antitermination system also considerably reduced R-loop-dependent supercoiling. Taken together, our results indicate that RNA polymerase elongation/termination properties can have a major impact on R-loop-dependent supercoiling. We discuss different possibilities by which RNA polymerase directly or indirectly participates in R-loop formation in Escherichia coli. Finally, our results also indicate that what determines the steady-state level of hypernegatively supercoiled DNA in topA null mutants is likely to be complex and involves a multitude of factors, including the status of RNA polymerase, transcription-translation coupling, the cellular level of RNase HI, the status of DNA gyrase and the rate of relaxation of supercoiled DNA.