Reverse Gyrase Is Not a Prerequisite for Hyperthermophilic Life

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Abstract
We disrupted the reverse gyrase gene from a hyperthermophilic archaeon, Thermococcus kodakaraensis KOD1. An apparent positive supercoiling activity that was observed in the host strain was not found in the disruptant strain. We found that a lack of reverse gyrase led to a retardation in growth that was more striking at higher temperatures. However, the disruption of the reverse gyrase gene did not lead to a lethal phenotype at 90°C. This study provides experimental evidence that reverse gyrase is not a prerequisite for hyperthermophilic life.