Revisiting oxygen toxicity: evolution and adaptation to superoxide in a SOD-deficient bacterial pathogen.

ABSTRACT: Dioxygen (O₂) is vital for aerobic life, but its utilization leads to the inevitable production of superoxide, a toxic oxidant. The prevailing theory of oxygen toxicity postulates that superoxide-scavenging enzymes (SOSEs), such as superoxide dismutases (SODs), are crucial for most aerobes and play a key role in the virulence of pathogens. However, our knowledge of superoxide adaptation primarily stems from the study of SOSE-encoding bacteria. Here, we investigated the evolution of a naturally SOSE-deficient pathogen (Leptospira spp.) and its alternative mechanisms to combat superoxide stress. We demonstrated that SOD was ancestral in the genus Leptospira but lost by pathogenic species, and heterologous expression of a SOD in this pathogen did not improve superoxid

SUBMITTER: Huete SG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12345160 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature