Chemical Warfare at the Microorganismal Level: A Closer Look at the Superoxide Dismutase Enzymes of Pathogens.

ABSTRACT: Superoxide anion radical is generated as a natural byproduct of aerobic metabolism but is also produced as part of the oxidative burst of the innate immune response design to kill pathogens. In living systems, superoxide is largely managed through superoxide dismutases (SODs), families of metalloenzymes that use Fe, Mn, Ni, or Cu cofactors to catalyze the disproportionation of superoxide to oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. Given the bursts of superoxide faced by microbial pathogens, it comes as no surprise that SOD enzymes play important roles in microbial survival and virulence. Interestingly, microbial SOD enzymes not only detoxify host superoxide but also may participate in signaling pathways that involve reactive oxygen species derived from the microbe itself, particularly in the case of

SUBMITTER: Schatzman SS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5993627 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature