Nickel-containing SOD

SOD comprises a family of metalloproteins primarily classified into four groups copper, zinc-containing SOD (Cu, Zn-SOD), manganese-containing SOD (Mn-SOD), iron-containing SOD (Fe-SOD) and nickel-containing SOD (Ni-SOD). In the following studies, we will only focus on the uses of the former three kinds of SODs to construct SOD-based 02 biosensors since the last one, Ni-SOD, is not commercially available. 

Four distinct forms of SODs are found in nature, which fall into three families. The Cu/Zn SODs occur primarily in cytoplasm of eukaryotes and chloroplasts, hut have also heen found in a few species of bacteria, nickel-containing SODs are known in some prokaryotes, while the structurally related Mn- and FeSODs are found in... 

To diminish these threats, nature has created a family of metalloenzymes, the SODs. They catalyze the dismutation of superoxide to dioxygen and hydrogen peroxide (Eqs. (1) and (2)). They are differentiated by the redox-active metal copper (Cu/Zn SOD), manganese (MnSOD), iron (FeSOD), or nickel (NiSOD) superoxide dismutases and fall into three evolutionary families (Fig. 2) (10). The iron and manganese SODs are structurally similar and are found in prokaryotes and in the matrix of mitochondria (near the electron transport chain), respectively. Nickel containing SODs are known in some prokaryotes, whereas Cu/Zn are present in the cytosols of virtually all eukaryotic cells and have an independent evolutionary history. 

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) catalyzes the disproportionation of superoxide to peroxide and oxygen according to equation (2). Four different types of SOD are known, containing either Cu and Zn see Copper Proteins with Type 2 Sites), Fe, Mn, or Ni see Nickel Enzymes Cofactors). The Fe and Mn containing SODs have very similar structures and can be further subdivided into metal-specific (i.e. functioning only when the correct metal is bound) and cambialistic (functioning with either Fe or Mn bound to the active site). 

Ni-SODs are a novel group of SODs in that they share a much lower sequence homology to other metal-containing SODs, even though they have similar catalytic rates. In order to elucidate the mechanism of this enzyme, the nickel site was examined using XAS. Ni X-edge XAS data were... 

Bacterial SODs typically contain either nonheme iron (FeSODs) or manganese (MnSODs) at their active sites, although bacterial copper/zinc and nickel SODs are also known (Imlay and Imlay 1996 Chung et al. 1999). Catalases are usually heme-containing enzymes that catalyze disproportionation of hydrogen peroxide to water and molecular oxygen (Eq. 10.2) (Zamocky and Koller 1999 Loewen et al. 2000). 

---