The effects of metal salts, chelating agents, and paraquat on the superoxide dismutases (SODs) ofEscherichia coli B were explored. Mn(II) increased manganese-containing SOD (MnSOD), whereas Fe(II) increased iron-containing SOD (FeSOD). Chelating agents induced MnSOD but decreased FeSOD and markedly increased the degree of induction seen with Mn(H). Paraquat also exerted a synergistic effect with Mn(II). High levels of MnSOD were achieved in the combined presence of Mn(II), chelating agent, and paraquat. All of these effects were dependent on the presence of oxygen. MnSOD, not ordinarily present in anaerobicaly grown E. coli cells, was present when the cells were grown anaerobically in the presence of chelating agents. These results are accommodated by a scheme which incorporates autogenous repression by the apoSODs and competition between Fe(H) and Mn(ll) for the metal-binding sites of the apoSODs. It is further supposed that oxygenation and intracellular O2 production favor MnSOD production because O2 oxidizes Mn(H) to Mn(III), which competes favorably with Fe(H) for the apoSODs. Escherichia coli produces two distinct homodimeric SODs. One of these contains iron (FeSOD) (25, 25a, 30), and the other contains manganese (MnSOD) (14, 26). When grown anaerobically, E. coli cells contain only FeSOD, but when grown aerobically they contain FeSOD, MnSOD, and a hybrid of these (HySOD) (9). Redox-active compounds,