The phosphoform of the regulatory subunit RII of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase possesses intrinsic topoisomerase activity.

The phosphoform of the type II regulatory subunit (phospho-RII-cAMP) of cAMP-dependent protein kinase from rat liver was found to possess intrinsic topoisomerase activity towards several DNA substrates such as phi X174, pBR322, SV40, and M13. Like the type I topoisomerases from several eukaryotic cells, phospho-RII X cAMP can relax both positive and negative superhelical turns of phi X174 DNA. Topological isomers with a decreasing number of superhelical turns can be identified as transient products. Conditions under which phospho-RII X cAMP relaxes superhelical phi X174 DNA lead to transient formation of a DNA-phospho-RII X cAMP complex via DNA strand breakage and covalent attachment of the DNA to a tyrosine residue of phospho-RII X cAMP via a phospho-RII X cAMP depends on the presence of cAMP and is altered by changes in the degree of phosphorylation of RII. Both dephosphorylation and removal of cAMP from phospho-RII X cAMP abolish its topoisomerase activity.