title: Unique characteristics of superoxide dismutase of a strictly anaerobic archaebacterium Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum.
abstract: The superoxide dismutase (SOD) gene of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum (Takao, M., Oikawa, A., and Yasui, A. (1990) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 283, 210-216), a strictly anaerobic archaebacterium, was expressed in Escherichia coli. The gene product accounted for more than 30% of the host's soluble protein. The purified protein was an active iron-containing tetrameric SOD with specific activity similar to known manganese-containing SODs (MnSODs) of aerobic archaebacteria. Although M. thermoautotrophicum SOD is an iron-containing SOD (FeSOD), it resembles MnSODs in amino acid sequence as judged by criteria distinguishing FeSODs from MnSODs. Moreover, M. thermoautotrophicum SOD is resistant to azide and hydrogen peroxide as MnSODs are, suggesting that its evolution is distinct from known eubacterial FeSODs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, School of Hygienic Sciences, Kitasato University, Sagamihara, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takao
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yasui
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oikawa
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001105:Archaea / Q000201:enzymology*; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D019605:Euryarchaeota / Q000201:enzymology*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010957:Plasmids; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D013482:Superoxide Dismutase