title: Superoxide scavenging by neelaredoxin: dismutation and reduction activities in anaerobes.
abstract: A superfamily of mononuclear iron proteins, originally named desulfoferrodoxin and neelaredoxin, has been identified by in vivo and in vitro studies as scavengers of the superoxide anion radical. These proteins, whose genes are present in all the so-far known genomes from anaerobes and in the microaerophilic pathogen Treponema pallidum, show not only a considerable amino acid sequence identity but, most importantly, a common active iron site, Fe[His(4)CysGlu], in the oxidized state which loses the glutamate ligand in the reduced form. The experimental evidence for the activity of these proteins as superoxide dismutases or as donor:superoxide oxidoreductases is discussed in this Commentary, giving particular emphasis to the neelaredoxin from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal.
authors.forename: Isabel A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Abreu
authors.forename: António V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Xavier
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: LeGall
authors.forename: Diane E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Cabelli
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Teixeira
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D003901:Desulfovibrio / Q000201:enzymology*; D033862:Iron-Binding Proteins; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D020027:Pyrococcus furiosus / Q000201:enzymology*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D013481:Superoxides / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D014210:Treponema pallidum / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D033862:Iron-Binding Proteins; D013481:Superoxides; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; C414179:nlr protein, Desulfovibrio gigas