An electrophoretic analysis of superoxide dismutase in Campylobacter spp.

Superoxide dismutase (SOD, superoxide:superoxide reductase, EC 1.15.1.1) activity was studied in 23 strains of Campylobacter spp. using disc polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Different enzyme patterns were observed with extracts of different species of Campylobacter; three migration bands were found in all strains of C. sputorum subsp. sputorum and C. sputorum subsp. bubulus (relative mobilities, Rm, 0.57, 0.76 and 0.85), and C. fetus subsp. fetus (Rm 0.60, 0.72 and 0.81), while four migration bands (Rm 0.52, 0.57, 0.73 and 0.82) were found in C. fetus subsp. venerealis. One band (Rm 0.73) was found in C. coli CIP 7080 and two bands (Rm 0.59, 0.73) in C. jejuni CIP 702. Superoxide dismutase activities were very high in the Campylobacter strains, especially in C. fetus subsp. fetus [specific activity 7.8-55.7 U (mg protein)-1] compared with those in Escherichia coli (1.5 U mg-1), Propionibacterium acnes (1.6 U mg-1) and Veillonella alcalescens (0.2 U mg-1).