Background: Superoxide dismutases (SOD) are ubiquitous metalloenzymes that catalyze the disproportion of superoxide to peroxide and molecular oxygen through alternate oxidation and reduction of their metal ions. In general, SODs are classified into four forms by their catalytic metals namely; FeSOD, MnSOD, Cu/ZnSOD and NiSOD. In addition, a cambialistic form that uses Fe/Mn in its active site also exists. Cyanobacteria, the oxygen evolving photosynthetic prokaryotes, produce reactive oxygen species that can damage cellular components leading to cell death. Thus, the co-evolution of an antioxidant system was necessary for the survival of photosynthetic organisms with SOD as the initial enzyme evolved to alleviate the toxic effect. Cyanobacteria represent the first oxygenic photoautotrophs and their SOD sequences available in the databases lack clear annotation. Hence, the present study focuses on structure and sequence pattern of subsets of cyanobacterial superoxide dismutases.
Exclusion of combined nitrogen (NaNO3) from the growth medium caused certain changes in metabolic processes leading to cessation in growth of the non-heterocystous, non nitrogen-fixing marine cyanobacterium Oscillatoria willei BDU 130511. But antioxidative enzymes, namely superoxide dismutase and peroxidase, helped the organism to survive the nitrogen stress. Prominent effects observed during nitrogen starvation/limitation were: (i) reduction of major and accessory photosynthetic pigments, (ii) impairment of photosynthesis due to loss of one major Rubisco isoenzyme, (iii) reduced synthesis of lipids and fatty acids, (iv) modifications of protein synthesis leading to the repression of three polypeptides and synthesis of two new polypeptides, (v) enhanced glutamine synthetase and reduced nitrate reductase activities, (vi) enhanced production of hydrogen peroxide and (vii) induced appearance of four new peroxidase isoenzymes. The observed metabolic changes were reversible, and the arrested growth under prolonged nitrogen deficiency could be fully restored upon subculturing in freshly prepared ASN III medium containing nitrogen (NaNO3). The present study demonstrates the capability of a non-nitrogen-fixer to withstand nitrogen stress making it an ecologically successful organism in the marine environment. The above pleiotropic effects of nitrogen deficiency also demonstrate that nitrogen plays a crucial role in growth and metabolism of marine cyanobacteria.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.