Dioxygen superoxide dismutase

The enzyme copper, zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn-SOD, EC 1.15.1.1) catalyzes the disproportionation of superoxide anion to dioxygen and hydrogen peroxide (equations 1 and 2). Crystallographic data can be found in References 41-46. This antioxidant enzyme is present in the cytosol and mitochondrial intermembrane space of eukaryotic cells and in the periplasmic space of bacterial cells as a homodimer of 32 kDa. Each monomer binds one copper and one zinc ion. The reaction mechanism involves the... 

Fee, J. A. Superoxide, superoxide dismutases, and oxygen toxicity. In Metal Ion Activation of Dioxygen (Spiro, T. G, ed.). New York-Chichester-Brisbane-Toronto, Wiley-Interscience, 1980, pp. 209-237... 

The demonstration that PMNs formed O2- in the respiratory burst necessitated the consideration of all the species which result when dioxygen is reduced one electron at a time (Fig. 1). Superoxide, the result of the reduction of dioxygen by one electron, appears to act mainly as a mild reductant in aqueous solutions. But when it coexists with H2O2, its spontaneous dismutation product, O can initiate a number of potentially injurious events [reviewed by Fridovich The primary means by which cells deal with superoxide anions appears to be through the catalysis of their dismutation by a family of metalloenzymes collectively designated superoxide dismutases. 

Copper has an essential role in a number of enzymes, notably those involved in the catalysis of electron transfer and in the transport of dioxygen and the catalysis of its reactions. The latter topic is discussed in Section 62.1.12. Hemocyanin, the copper-containing dioxygen carrier, is considered in Section 62.1.12.3.8, while the important role of copper in oxidases is exemplified in cytochrome oxidase, the terminal member of the mitochondrial electron-transfer chain (62.1.12.4), the multicopper blue oxidases such as laccase, ascorbate oxidase and ceruloplasmin (62.1.12.6) and the non-blue oxidases (62.12.7). Copper is also involved in the Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutases (62.1.12.8.1) and a number of hydroxylases, such as tyrosinase (62.1.12.11.2) and dopamine-jS-hydroxylase (62.1.12.11.3). Tyrosinase and hemocyanin have similar binuclear copper centres. 

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a key enzyme which constitutes the first line of defense against oxygen toxicity and catalyzes the disproportionation of the superoxide anions to dioxygen and hydrogen peroxide2 ... 

Other than in prokaryotic cells which lack mitochondria and chloroplasts, manganese superoxide dismutases are apparently restricted to the above two organelles in eukaryotic cells (51, 52) this forms strong support for the symbiotic hypothesis for the origin of mitochondria and chloroplasts (53, 54). Kinetic studies of superoxide dismutation by these enzymes indicate three oxidation states of Mn (presumably divalent, trivalent, and tetravalent) are involved in the catalytic cycle (57, 58). They also show that a Mn-02 complex may conceivably be formed. Well-characterized Mn-dioxygen (i.e., 02,02 , 022 ) adducts are extremely rare, the first structurally characterized example being reported only in 1987 (60). 

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