Superoxide dismutases (SODs; EC 1.15.1.1) play important roles in the protection of the parasites against cellular oxygen–mediated killing of the hosts. A copper/zinc-containing SOD (Cu/Zn-SOD) was identified previously from lung fluke, Paragonimus westermani. To expand our understanding of P. westermani SOD, we isolated a complementary DNA encoding a Cu/Zn-SOD, expressed the active enzyme in Escherichia coli, and characterized its biochemical properties. The deduced amino acid (aa) sequence of the gene shared up to 73.7% identities with Cu/Zn-SODs of other helminths and shared well-conserved characteristic motifs and essential aa residues involved in coordinating copper and zinc enzymatic functions. Recombinant Cu/ Zn-SOD exhibited comparable biochemical properties with that of the native enzyme, including pH optima and potassium cyanide–and hydrogen peroxide–sensitive inhibition profiles. The active enzyme consisted of 2 identical subunits covalently linked by disulfide bonds. The enzyme was constitutively expressed throughout various developmental stages of the parasite. The levels increased as P. westermani matured and plateaued in adult stage. Our result suggests the enzyme might play an important role for parasites to survive in the hosts through its superoxide anion–detoxifying function.
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April 2005
MOLECULAR-CELL BIOLOGY|
April 01 2005
MOLECULAR CLONING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF COPPER/ZINC-SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE OF PARAGONIMUS WESTERMANI
Ai-Hua Li;
Ai-Hua Li
Department of Tropical and Endemic Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Health, Seoul 122-701, Korea. [email protected]
* State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
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Byoung-Kuk Na;
Byoung-Kuk Na
Department of Tropical and Endemic Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Health, Seoul 122-701, Korea. [email protected]
† Department of Molecular Parasitology and Center for Molecular Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine and Samsung Biomedical Research Institute, Suwon 440-746, Korea
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Yoon Kong;
Yoon Kong
Department of Tropical and Endemic Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Health, Seoul 122-701, Korea. [email protected]
† Department of Molecular Parasitology and Center for Molecular Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine and Samsung Biomedical Research Institute, Suwon 440-746, Korea
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Shin-Hyeong Cho;
Shin-Hyeong Cho
Department of Tropical and Endemic Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Health, Seoul 122-701, Korea. [email protected]
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Qin-Ping Zhao;
Qin-Ping Zhao
Department of Tropical and Endemic Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Health, Seoul 122-701, Korea. [email protected]
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Tong-Soo Kim
Tong-Soo Kim
Department of Tropical and Endemic Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Health, Seoul 122-701, Korea. [email protected]
‡ To whom correspondence should be addressed
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J Parasitol (2005) 91 (2): 293–299.
Citation
Ai-Hua Li, Byoung-Kuk Na, Yoon Kong, Shin-Hyeong Cho, Qin-Ping Zhao, Tong-Soo Kim; MOLECULAR CLONING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF COPPER/ZINC-SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE OF PARAGONIMUS WESTERMANI. J Parasitol 1 April 2005; 91 (2): 293–299. doi: https://doi.org/10.1645/GE-349R
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