AI Article Synopsis
- Strict anaerobes lack superoxide dismutase and generally show no catalase activity, indicating they do not metabolize oxygen efficiently.
- Aerobic organisms, which have cytochrome systems, consistently contain both superoxide dismutase and catalase, helping them handle reactive oxygen species.
- Aerotolerant anaerobes, although they can tolerate oxygen, do not have catalase but do possess superoxide dismutase, suggesting it plays a key role in protecting oxygen-utilizing organisms from harmful superoxide free radicals.
Article Abstract
The distribution of catalase and superoxide dismutase has been examined in various micro-organisms. Strict anaerobes exhibited no superoxide dismutase and, generally, no catalase activity. All aerobic organisms containing cytochrome systems were found to contain both superoxide dismutase and catalase. Aerotolerant anaerobes, which survive exposure to air and metabolize oxygen to a limited extent but do not contain cytochrome systems, were found to be devoid of catalase activity but did exhibit superoxide dismutase activity. This distribution is consistent with the proposal that the prime physiological function of superoxide dismutase is protection of oxygen-metabolizing organisms against the potentially detrimental effects of the superoxide free radical, a biologically produced intermediate resulting from the univalent reduction of molecular oxygen.
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Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC389105 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.68.5.1024 | DOI Listing |
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