Fig. 9: Circular, Supercoiled Prokaryotic DNA


To enable the large DNA molecyle to fit within the bacterium, histone-like proteins bind to the DNA, seggregating the DNA molecule into around 50 chromosomal domains and making it more compact. Then an enzyme called DNA gyrase supercoils each domain around itself forming a compacted, supercoiled mass of DNA approximately 0.2 µm in diameter.



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