SOD2 encodes manganese superoxide dismutase, a mitochondrial enzyme that protects the cell against damage from superoxide free radicals. A common polymorphism, a T ! C transition (Val16Ala), was shown to alter the manganese superoxide dismutase mitochondrial targeting sequence (1). Animal studies have linked reduction in manganese superoxide dismutase activity to increased DNA damage and higher...

SOD2 encodes manganese superoxide dismutase, a mitochondrial enzyme that protects the cell against damage from superoxide free radicals. A common polymorphism, a T ! C transition (Val16Ala), was shown to alter the manganese superoxide dismutase mitochondrial targeting sequence (1). Animal studies have linked reduction in manganese superoxide dismutase activity to increased DNA damage and higher...

Photosensitive dyes representative of the thiazines, xanthenes, acridines, and phenazines mediated phototoxicity in Escherichia coli B. The observed phototoxicity was sensitizer-, light-, and oxygen-dependent and is therefore a photodynamic effect. Hydroxyl radical scavengers conferred protection against the photodynamic action of all of the representative dyes. The extent of protection was dep...

Inflammatory processes in chronic rejection remain a serious clinical problem in organ transplantation. Activated cellular infiltrate produces high levels of both superoxide and nitric oxide. These reactive oxygen species interact to form peroxynitrite, a potent oxidant that can modify proteins to form 3-nitrotyrosine. We identified enhanced immunostaining for nitrotyrosine localized to tubular...

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a strict aerobe which is likely exposed to oxygen reduction products including superoxide and hydrogen peroxide during the metabolism of molecular oxygen. To counterbalance the potentially hazardous effects of elevated endogenous levels of superoxide, most aerobic organisms possess one or more superoxide dismutases or compounds capable of scavenging superoxide. We have...

Superoxide dismutase from chicken-liver mitochondria (manganese enzyme) and the two dismutases from Escherichia coli (manganese and iron enzymes) were analyzed through 29 cycles of automated Edman degradations. The high degree of homology among the amino-terminal sequences of these three dismutases corroborates their known similarity of structural and functional properties, and serves as furthe...

The crystal structure of a tetrameric manganese superoxide dismutase from a thermophilic bacterium, Thermus thermophilus HB8, has been determined at 4.4-A resolution by local averaging of electron density maps calculated by isomorphous replacement. The spatial arrangement of the principal secondary structural features of iron superoxide dismutase is conserved in manganese dismutase. The structu...