title: Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase from Trematomus bernacchii: functional conservation and erratic molecular evolution in Antarctic teleosts.
abstract: In the present study, we describe the purification and molecular characterization of Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) from Trematomus bernacchii, a teleost widely distributed in many areas of Antarctica, that plays a pivotal role in the Antarctic food chain. The amino acid and cDNA sequences have been obtained using both biochemical and molecular biology approaches and are compared with Cu,Zn SODs from other fishes. Assessment of the primary sequences highlights that the catalytically important residues are fully conserved in Cu,Zn SOD from T. bernacchii. Phylogenetic analyses performed on Cu,Zn SOD amino acid sequences permit speculation regarding the evolution of this protein. In particular, the data confirms the erratic differentiation of these proteins and concurs with the theory of the "unclock-like" behaviour of Cu,Zn SOD evolution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via U. Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy. gianfranco.santovito@unipd.it
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Santovito
authors.forename: Arnaldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cassini
authors.forename: Ester
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Piccinni
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010473:Perciformes; D010802:Phylogeny; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D013482:Superoxide Dismutase