Guiding functions of the C-terminal domain of topoisomerase IIα advance mitotic chromosome assembly

Topoisomerase II (topo II) is one of the six proteins essential for mitotic chromatid reconstitution in vitro. It is not fully understood, however, mechanistically how this enzyme regulates this process. In an attempt to further refine the reconstitution assay, we have found that chromosomal binding of Xenopus laevis topo IIα is sensitive to buffer conditions and depends on its C-terminal domain (CTD). Enzymological assays using circular DNA substrates supports the idea that topo IIα first resolves inter-chromatid entanglements to drive individualization and then generates intra-chromatid entanglements to promote thickening. Importantly, only the latter process requires the CTD. By using frog egg extracts, we also show that the CTD contributes to proper formation of nucleosome-depleted chromatids by competing with a linker histone for non-nucleosomal DNA. Our results demonstrate that topo IIα utilizes its CTD to deliver the enzymatic core to crowded environments created during mitotic chromatid assembly, thereby fine-tuning this process.