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...

An Escherichia coli double mutant, sodAsodB, that is deficient in both bacterial superoxide dismutases (Mn superoxide dismutase and iron superoxide dismutase) is unable to grow on minimal medium in the presence of oxygen and exhibits increased sensitivity to paraquat and hydrogen peroxide. Expression of the evolutionarily unrelated eukaryotic CuZn superoxide dismutase in the sodAsodB E. coli mu...

The Cu,ZnSODs (Cu,Zn superoxide dismutases) comprise a class of ubiquitous metalloenzymes that catalyse the dismutation of the superoxide radical anion into oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. The dismutation reaction involves two successive encounters of the superoxide anion with a catalytic copper centre hosted by the enzyme at the dead end of a narrow protein channel. Cu,ZnSOD is found in all euka...

The iron-containing superoxide dismutase from Propionibacterium shermanii shows, in contrast with other iron superoxide dismutases, only a minor inhibition by azide or fluoride (10-100 mM) of up to 23% at pH 7.8. The activity of the protein with Mn bound to the active site was not diminished under the same conditions. The binding constant between azide and the Fe3+ ion was determined as approx....

To establish some of the necessary steps in the toxic action of paraquat for cultured mammalian cells, we isolated paraquat-resistant HeLa cells after lethal increments in concentration of paraquat in the medium. The paraquat-resistant cells had increased the cellular content of both the Mn-containing and the CuZn-containing superoxide dismutases. The effect of paraquat on the consumption of ox...