Superoxide Dismutase and Oxygen Toxicity in a Eukaryote

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Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. ellipsoideus contained 6.5 times more superoxide dismutase and 2.3 times more catalase when grown under 100% O2 than when grown anaerobically. Growth under oxygen caused equal increases in both the cyanide-sensitive and the cyanide-insensitive superoxide dismutases of this organism. Experience with other eukaryotes has shown that cyanide sensitivity is a property of the cupro-zinc superoxide dismutase of the cytosol, whereas cyanide insensitivity is a property of the corresponding mangani-enzyme found in mitochondria. Cu2+, which has been shown to increase the radioresistance of yeast, also caused an increase of both of the superoxide dismutases of S. cerevisiae. Yeast which had been grown under 1 atm of O2 were more resistant toward the lethal effects of 20 atm of O2 than were yeast which had been grown in the absence of O2. Escherichia coli K-12 his− responded to growth under 1 atm of O2 by increasing its content of catalase and of peroxidase, but not of superoxide dismutase. This contrasts with E. coli B, which was previously shown to respond to O2 by a striking increase in superoxide dismutase. E. coli K-12 his− did not gain resistance toward 20 atm of O2 because of having been grown under 1 atm of O2. Once again, this contrasts with the behavior of E. coli B. These data indicate that, in both prokaryotes and in eukaryotes, superoxide dismutase is an important component of the defenses against oxygen toxicity.

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