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J. Bacteriol., Dec 1996, 7152-7158, Vol 178, No. 24
Y Lehmann, L Meile and M Teuber
The food-borne pathogen Clostridium perfringens, which is an obligate
anaerobe, showed growth under conditions of oxidative stress. In protein
extracts we looked for superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities which might
scavenge highly toxic superoxide radicals evolving under such stress
conditions. Using the classical assay to detect SOD activity on gels after
electrophoresis of C. perfringens proteins, we obtained a pattern of three
major bands indicating SOD activity. The protein representing the brightest
band was purified by three chromatographic steps. On the basis of 20 amino
acids determined from the N terminus of the protein, we designed a
degenerate oligonucleotide probe to isolate the corresponding gene. We
finally sequenced an open reading frame of 195 amino acids (molecular mass,
21,159 Da) with a strong homology to the Desulfovibrio vulgaris
rubrerythrin; therefore, we assumed to have cloned a rubrerythrin gene from
C. perfringens, and we named it rbr. The C-terminal region of the newly
detected rubrerythrin from C. perfringens contains a characteristic
non-heme, non-sulfur iron-binding site -Cys-X-X-Cys-(X)12-Cys-X-X-Cys-
similar to that found in rubrerythrin from D. vulgaris. In addition, three
-Glu-X- X-His- sequences could represent diiron binding domains. We
observed SOD activity in extracts of Escherichia coli strains containing
the recombinant rbr gene from C. perfringens. A biological function of
rubrerythrin as SOD was confirmed with the functional complementation by
the rbr gene of an E. coli mutant strain lacking SOD activity. We therefore
suppose that rubrerythrin plays a role as a scavenger of oxygen radicals.
Copyright © 1996, American Society for Microbiology
Rubrerythrin from Clostridium perfringens: cloning of the gene, purification of the protein, and characterization of its superoxide dismutase function [published erratum appears in J Bacteriol 1997 Mar;179(5):1836]
Laboratorium fur Lebensmittel-Mikrobiologie, Institut fur Lebensmittelwissenschaften, Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule, ETH- Zentrum, Zurich, Switzerland.
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