Cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding the cytosolic copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase from sweet potato tuberous root

A full-length cDNA clone encoding a putative copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase (SOD) of sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam. cv Tainong 57, was isolated from a cDNA library constructed in gt10 from tuber root mRNA. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this cDNA clone revealed that it comprises a complete open reading frame coding for 152 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence showed higher homology (78–86%) with the sequence of the cytosolic SOD than that of the chloroplast SOD from other plant species. The residues required for coordinating copper and zinc are conserved as they are among all reported Cu/Zn-SOD sequences. In addition, it lacks recognizable plastic or mitochondrial targeting sequences. These data suggest that the isolated sweet potato clone encodes a cytosolic Cu/Zn-SOD.     

陆地棉叶绿体铜锌超氧化物歧化酶基因的克隆与表达

以陆地棉‘CRI36＇的叶片为材料,使用RACE技术克隆到了棉花叶绿体Cu/Zn-SOD酶基因。基因序列全长共1 043 bp,含有完整的开放阅读框。推导的氨基酸序列分析显示含有叶绿体信号肽,和已知植物的叶绿体Cu/Zn-SOD酶蛋白的氨基酸残基的同源性在66%～74%之间。基因的表达谱分析显示：棉花叶绿体Cu/Zn-SOD酶基因主要在叶片、茎中表达,根、花和下胚轴中没有检测到信号,即基因的表达主要在棉花的绿色组织。不同生育期的表达谱结果证实：该基因主要在苗期表达,以后表达逐渐减少。用pET-21a（＋）构建了原核表达载体,在大肠杆菌BL21（DE3）的表达结果显示：表达后得到一个29.0 kD的新蛋白,其分子量与预期目标一致。对SOD酶活性的分析证实,重组菌的酶活性显著增加,证明克隆的基因具有活性。     

Cloning and DNA sequencing of cytosolic Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase gene from chinese cabbage

A cDNA clone for the cytosolic Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD) from Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris ssp.pekinensis) was isolated and its DNA sequence was determined. The cDNA clone contains a complete coding sequence which encodes a protein of 152 amino acids and a 3-untranslated region including a poly A signal. The deduced amino acid sequence shows that it is highly homologous to the Cu/Zn SODs from other plants (60–90%). The lack of a putative chloroplast targeting transit peptide indicates that the clone represents a cytosolic form of Cu/Zn SOD. Genomic Southern hybridization suggests that cytosolic Cu/Zn SOD genes are present in 1 or 2 copies per genome.     

Scavenger Enzyme Activities in Subcellular Fractions of White Clover (Trifolium repens L.) under PEG-induced Water Stress

Scavenger enzyme activities in subcellular fractions under polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced water stress in white clover (Trifolium repens L.) were studied. Water stress decreased ascorbic acid (AA) content and catalase (CAT) activity and increased the contents of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) (measure of lipid peroxidation), and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), its various isozymes, ascorbate peroxidase (APOX), and glutathione reductase (GR) in cellular cytosol, chloroplasts, mitochondria, and peroxisomes of Trifolium repens leaves. In both the PEG-treated plants and the control, chloroplastic fractions showed the highest total SOD, APOX, and GR activities, followed by mitochondrial fractions in the case of total SOD and GR activities, whereas cytosolic fractions had the second greatest APOX activity. However, CAT activity was the highest in peroxisomes, followed by the cytosol, mitochondria, and chloroplasts in decreasing order. Although Mn-SOD activity was highest in mitochondrial fractions, residual activity was also observed in cytosolic fractions. Cu/Zn-SOD and Fe-SOD were observed in all subcellular fractions; however, the activities were the highest in chloroplastic fractions for both isoforms. Total Cu/Zn-SOD activity, the sum of activities observed in all fractions, was higher than other SOD isoforms. These results suggest that cytosolic and chloroplastic APOX, chloroplastic and mitochondrial GR, mitochondrial Mn-SOD, cytosolic and chloroplastic Cu/Zn-SOD, and chloroplastic Fe-SOD are the major scavenger enzymes, whereas cellular CAT may play a minor role in scavenging of O₂⁻ and H₂O₂ produced under PEG-induced water stress in Trifolium repens.     

Subcellular localization and stress responses of superoxide dismutase isoforms from leaves in the C3-CAM intermediate halophyte Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.

BSA, bovine serum albumin
CAM, Crassulacean acid metabolism
DTT, dithiothreitol
EDTA, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
FPLCfast protein liquid chromatography
HEPES, N-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazine-?-(ethanesulphonic acid)
ME, β-mercaptoethanol
NBT, nitro blue tetrazolium
PAGE, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis
SDS, sodium dodecyl sulphate
SDS-PAGE, sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis
Rubisco, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (EC 4.1.1.39)
SOD, superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1)
TEMED, N,N,?,?-tetramethylethylenediamine
Tris, Tris (hydroxymethyl) aminomethane
Tricine, N-Tris(hydroxymethyl)methylglycine

Treatment of Mesembryanthemum crystallinum for several days with 0·4 kmol m^–3 NaCl in the root medium, in parallel to an increase of the cell sap osmolarity enhances activity of important antioxidative enzymes, such as superoxide dismutases (SODs). M. crystallinum is equipped with three SOD isoforms. These isoforms were identified as Mn-, Fe-, and Cu/Zn-SODs, respectively. Mn-SOD was found in the mitochondrial fraction, Fe-SOD in the chloroplast fraction, and Cu/Zn-SOD is probably localized in the cytosol. The Fe-SOD found in M. crystallinum is the first iron-containing SOD enzyme to be characterized in the plant family Aizoaceae. Salt treatment increases the activity of this isoform earlier than the other SODs. Molecular masses of SOD isoforms were determined as 82, 48 and 34 kDa for Mn-, Fe-, Cu/Zn-SODs, respectively. Native Mn-SOD seems to be a tetramer, while Fe-SOD and Cu/Zn-SOD are dimers. All SOD isoforms show high thermal stability. Mn-SOD is active even after short heating at 90 °C and Fe-SOD at 70 °C. Moreover, high concentrations of β-mercaptoethanol used as a reducing agent did not destroy the function of all isoforms. With the salinity treatment in M. crystallinum, Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is induced. Build-up of large stationary O₂ concentrations in the leaf air spaces is associated with the photosynthetic CO₂ reduction behind closed stomata in phase III of CAM. This illustrates why M. crystallinum may require higher antioxidative activities under NaCl stress and also explains earlier findings that CAM plants are more resistant than C₃ plants to environmental stress as imposed by, for example, SO₂ and O₃.     

Activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) isoforms during growth of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scenedesmus</Emphasis> (chlorophyta) species and strains grown in batch-cultures

Growth of Scenedesmus species and strains, grown for 28 days in mineral BBM medium in batch-cultures, displayed sigmoidal kinetics that comprised a lag, exponential and declining growth phases. Total SOD activity in these autotrophically cultured organisms, which oscillated within 0.6 – 1.4 Umg protein⁻¹, was rather species-specific and only to some extent depended on the growth phase. Contrary, three S. obliquus strains: wild type 276-6, mutant with blocked PS I (strain 56.80) and mutant with blocked PS II (strain 57.80), cultured for 7 days on BBM medium supplemented with bacto-tryptone and yeast extract (BBM+) turned out to be time-dependent and to have several times higher total SOD activity than one obtained for Scenedesmus grown autotrophically. Regardless of the media composition, the phase of growth and studied organism, dominant isoforms of total SOD were together determined Fe- and Mn-SOD. Profiles of SOD isoforms, obtained after PAGE analysis of all autotrophically and exponentially growing organisms, revealed that one Mn-SOD and one Cu/Zn-SOD bands located on gels at the same position whereas location of three bands of Fe-SOD depended on the strain. This suggests the presence of two different groups of Fe-SODs in analyzed organisms. Identical SOD profiles found in two S. armatus strains (276-4a and 276-4d) and S. subspicatus correspond well with their taxonomic position. The SOD profile of S. armatus B1-76 distinctly differed from two other S. armatus strains but was identical to S. microspinal B1-76 and S. quadricauda G-15 despite the fact that there were significant growth rate differences between these three species. SODs profiles of S. acutus 437 and S. obliguus 453 were species-specific. In S. obliquus strains cultured on BBM+ medium, there are four SOD bands: one slightly visible band of Mn-SOD, two intensive bands of Fe-SOD and one band of Cu/Zn-SOD. The above finding suggests that antioxidant response of algae kept in batch-cultures differs according to medium composition and the SOD activity mainly restricted to chloroplasts.     

Intracellular Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) from hard clam Meretrix meretrix: its cDNA cloning, mRNA expression and enzyme activity

Hard clam (Meretrix meretrix) is an economically important bivalve in China. In the present study, a gene coding for an intracellular Cu/Zn-SOD was cloned and characterized from hard clam. The full-length cDNA of this Cu/Zn-SOD (designated as Mm-icCuZn-SOD) consisted of 1,383?bp, with a 462-bp of open reading frame (ORF) encoding 153 amino acids. Several highly conserved motifs, including the Cu/Zn binding sites [H(46), H(48), H(63), and H(119) for Cu binding; H(63), H(71), H(80), and D(83) for Zn binding], an intracellular disulfide bond and two Cu/Zn-SOD signatures were identified in Mm-icCu/Zn-SOD. The deduced amino acid sequence of Mm-icCu/Zn-SOD has a high degree of homology with the Cu/Zn-dependent SODs from other species, indicating that Mm-icCu/Zn-SOD should be a member of the intracellular Cu/Zn-dependent SOD family. Real-time PCR analysis showed that the highest level of Mm-icCu/Zn-SOD expression was in the hepatopancreas, while the lowest level occurred in the hemocytes. Hard clam challenged with Vibrio anguillarum showed a time-dependent increase in Mm-icCu/Zn-SOD expression that reached a maximum level after 6?h. Mm-icCu/Zn-SOD purified as a recombinant protein expressed in E. coli retained a high level of biological activity, 83?% after 10?min incubation at 10–50?°C, and more than 87?% after incubation in buffers with pH values between 2.2 and 10.2. These results indicated that Mm-icCu/Zn-SOD may play an important role in the innate immune system of hard clam.     

Prompt response of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase to dehydration and rehydration of the resurrection plant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Haberlea rhodopensis</Emphasis>

The relic endemic nature of Haberlea rhodopensis, which grows in Balkan Peninsula, in combination with its high vegetative desiccation-tolerance, makes this species a good model to study mechanisms behind plant adaptation to severe drought stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant protection provided by Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Peroxidase (PO) in H. rhodopensis after exposure to and recovery from dehydration at different developmental stages. During dehydration the electrolyte leakage from leaf tissue increased more significantly in post-flowering plants than in flowering plants, while upon subsequent rehydration this parameter showed a very fast decrease to the basic value of fresh leaves and did not depend on developmental stage. Like other higher plant species, SOD and PO demonstrated in H. rhodopensis an ability to adjust their activity very promptly to changing water supply. In addition, the leaves of this resurrection species retained significant activities of SOD and PO even in air-dried state, considered as the most severe form of water stress. The enhanced activity of antioxidant enzymes may either enable the scavenging of the active oxygen species produced at very severe water deficit, and/or carry a potential for resurrection on subsequent rehydration. Upon stress treatment total activities of both enzymes were higher in flowering than post-flowering plants which reveals that developmental stage might be a factor affecting plant stress tolerance. This work identified for the first time SOD isoforms of H. rhodopensis. Native PAGE showed at least six multiple isoforms in the protein extract from leaf tissue of flowering plants, and the differential visualization revealed that four of them were Cu, Zn-SOD isoforms, one was Mn-SOD and one Fe-SOD. These findings provide a good starting point for future study of the SOD gene family of this rare resurrection plant at the molecular level.     

Molecular Characterization of Mn-superoxide Dismutase and Gene Expression Studies in Dietary Restricted <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brachionus plicatilis</Emphasis> Rotifers

Superoxide dismutases (SODs) promote a conversion of harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS) to relatively moderate forms, resulting in the extension of lifespan in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans under caloric restriction. The lifespan of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis is also markedly extended by caloric restriction. We, therefore, cloned cDNA encoding SOD activated with Mn (Mn SOD) from B. plicatilis and examined its expression pattern in rotifers raised with energy restricted diet. The full length deduced amino acid sequence of the rotifer Mn SOD showed 61% identity with the C. elegans ortholog. Four amino acid residues that are essential to the binding of this enzyme to Mn were conserved in the rotifer Mn SOD. Subsequently we examined the mRNA expression patterns of Mn SOD using highly sensitive quantitative real-time PCR for various rotifer populations that are likely to differ in their lifespans in experiments on calorie restricted diets. The accumulated mRNA levels of Mn SOD were found to increase in supposedly long-lived rotifers. These results suggest that Mn SOD is possibly related to the aging of B. plicatilis.     

Protein patterns and superoxide dismutase activity in non-mycorrhizal and arbuscular mycorrhizalPisum sativum L. plants

There are few reports in relation to the role of specific proteins in the mycorrhizal symbiosis. Among the changes in the protein expression as a consequence of the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis, only one case related to changes in superoxide dismutase (SOD; EC 1.15.1.1) activity has been reported in the red clover-Glomus mosseae symbiosis.In this paper, the symbiotic system formed by a leguminous plant,Pisum sativum, and the fungusGlomus mosseae is studied in terms of protein patterns and SOD activity in both mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal roots. Our results show that among the differential polypeptides separated by SDS-PAGE, one with a molecular weight of 32.0 kDa, and a protein with an isoelectric point of pI 4.9 appeared strongly expressed in mycorrhizal roots. A partial purification of the related polypeptide could be achieved by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. A higher SOD activity was also detected in mycorrhizal pea roots, although both mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal roots showed the same isoenzymatic pattern for SODs: two Mn-SODs (I and II) and two Cu,Zn-SODs (I and II) were detected, Cu,Zn-SOD I being the most abundant isozyme in both types of roots. A similar pattern of SOD isozymes (Mn-SODs I and II, and Cu,Zn-SODs I and II) was also found in nodules of mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal pea roots. However, in nodules Mn-SOD II was the main isozyme. The bacterial nature of this isozyme is postulated in this report.Dr. Justo Arines died on the 15th November, 1993 in Dijon (France), while he was attending a molecular biology course on mycorrhizas.     

Effects of Cadmium on Antioxidant Enzyme Activities in Sugar Cane

Sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum L. cv. Copersucar SP80-3280) seedlings were grown in nutrient solution with varying concentrations (0, 2 and 5 mM) of cadmium chloride for 96 h. Leaves were analysed for catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities. Although a clear effect of CdCl₂ on plant growth was observed, the activity of SOD was not altered significantly. However, the CAT activity decreased as the concentration of CdCl₂ increased. GR exhibits a significant increase in activity at 2 and 5 mM CdCl₂. CAT and SOD isoenzymes were further characterised by analysis in non-denaturing PAGE. Activity staining for SOD revealed up to seven isoenzymes in untreated control and 2 mM CdCl₂ treated plants, corresponding to Cu/Zn-SOD isoenzymes. At 5 mM CdCl₂, only six Cu/Zn-SOD isoenzymes were observed. No Fe-SOD and Mn-SOD isoenzymes were detected. For CAT, one band of activity was observed.     

玉米ZmSOD基因克隆及其在干旱胁迫下的表达

为探讨超氧化物歧化酶(superoxide dismutase，SOD)基因在玉米抗逆反应中的作用，研究选用2个抗旱性有明显差别的玉米品种为试验材料，采用RT-PCR、实时荧光定量PCR(qRT-PCR)及二维凝胶电泳(2-DE)耦联的基质辅助激光解吸电离/飞行时间质谱(MALDI-TOF)法，对ZmSOD基因的序列结构及其在干旱胁迫下的表达特性进行分析。结果表明：(1)从干旱敏感品种‘登海605’(DH605)和抗旱品种‘蠡玉35’(LY35)玉米叶片中分别成功克隆出ZmSOD1和ZmSOD2基因。DH605中ZmSOD1开放阅读框(ORF)全长456 bp，编码151个氨基酸，编码的蛋白等电点为5.76，分子量为15.05 kD。LY35中ZmSOD2ORF全长459 bp，编码152个氨基酸，编码的蛋白等电点为5.65，分子量为15.11 kD；ZmSOD1和ZmSOD2是亲水性稳定蛋白，都含有Cu/Zn-SOD结构域，蛋白序列N端无信号肽及无跨膜结构域。同源性和系统进化分析表明，玉米ZmSOD和谷子Cu/Zn-SOD2的亲缘关系最近，相似性高达96.05%。(2)在干旱条件下，ZmSOD1在DH605中转录水平明显降低，LY35中ZmSOD2转录水平显著升高；2-DE耦联的质谱分析显示：ZmSOD1在DH605中表达量明显降低，LY35中ZmSOD2表达量无显著性变化，却检测到Mn-SOD蛋白表达量显著增加。(3)相关分析显示，干旱条件下，DH605叶片中ZmSOD1转录水平和其蛋白丰度及SOD酶活性呈极显著性正相关，LY35叶片中ZmSOD2转录水平与SOD酶活性呈显著性正相关。研究结果为进一步探索SOD基因在调节玉米抗性以及逆境胁迫应答过程中的作用机制提供了基础。     

Heterologous expression of a novel psychrophilic Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase from Deschampsia antarctica

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) catalyzes the conversion of the superoxide radical (O₂⁻) into oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. Deschampsia antarctica is a plant that grows in Antarctica and survives to extreme low temperature and high UV radiation, thus it is an ideal model to study novel antioxidants. A cDNA Cu/Zn-SOD gene from D. antarctica was cloned into a pET vector and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21-SI. 112 mg/L of recombinant Cu/Zn-SOD was attained in batch cultures in bioreactor. Using Ni-affinity gel chromatography, the recombinant Cu/Zn-SOD was recovered with a purity of 90% and a specific enzyme activity of 749 at 25 °C. However, zymogram test showed that the enzyme has more activity at 4 °C. This D. antarctica SOD could be used to reduce the oxidation of refrigerated and frozen foods.     

Complete Amino Acid Sequence of a Copper/Zinc-Superoxide Dismutase from Ginger Rhizome

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is an antioxidant enzyme protecting cells from oxidative stress. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is known for its antioxidant properties, however, there are no data on SODs from ginger rhizomes. In this study, we purified SOD from the rhizome of Z. officinale (Zo-SOD) and determined its complete amino acid sequence using N terminal sequencing, amino acid analysis, and de novo sequencing by tandem mass spectrometry. Zo-SOD consists of 151 amino acids with two signature Cu/Zn-SOD motifs and has high similarity to other plant Cu/Zn-SODs. Multiple sequence alignment showed that Cu/Zn-binding residues and cysteines forming a disulfide bond, which are highly conserved in Cu/Zn-SODs, are also present in Zo-SOD. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that plant Cu/Zn-SODs clustered into distinct chloroplastic, cytoplasmic, and intermediate groups. Among them, only chloroplastic enzymes carried amino acid substitutions in the region functionally important for enzymatic activity, suggesting that chloroplastic SODs may have a function distinct from those of SODs localized in other subcellular compartments. The nucleotide sequence of the Zo-SOD coding region was obtained by reverse-translation, and the gene was synthesized, cloned, and expressed. The recombinant Zo-SOD demonstrated pH stability in the range of 5–10, which is similar to other reported Cu/Zn-SODs, and thermal stability in the range of 10–60?°C, which is higher than that for most plant Cu/Zn-SODs but lower compared to the enzyme from a Z. officinale relative Curcuma aromatica.     

Molecular Characterization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica juncea</Emphasis> Cu/Zn-Superoxide Dismutases Reveals Their Regulation of Shoot Regeneration

Superoxide dismutases (SODs) are ubiquitous metalloenzymes that catalyze the dismutation of superoxide radicals (O₂^-) to molecular oxygen (O₂) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). In this study we characterized an Arabidopsis thaliana CuZnSOD (CSD1), a close ortholog of a previously identified Brassica juncea CuZnSOD (MSOD1). CSD1 and other two homologs CSD2 and CSD3 were spatially regulated in Arabidopsis, and CSD1 exhibited distinct expression patterns in response to different stress treatments. To investigate the in vivo function of SOD, transgenic Arabidopsis plants, expressing sense and antisense MSOD1 RNAs, were generated and those with altered SOD activity were selected for further characterization. Although SOD transgenic plants exhibited normal phenotypes, the shoot regeneration response in transgenic explants was significantly affected by the modulated SOD activity and the corresponding H₂O₂ levels. Transgenic explants with downregulated SOD activity were poorly regenerative, whereas those with upregulated SOD activity were highly regenerative. These results suggest that shoot regeneration in vitro is regulated by the SOD activity.     

Cloning and characterization of a cold-and ABA-inducible Arabidopsis gene

We have identified by differential screening a novel Arabidopsis thaliana gene, called kin1, which is induced at +44 °C. The nucleotide sequences of both the genomic clone and the corresponding cDNA were determined. The deduced 6.5 kDa polypeptide has an unusual amino acid composition being rich in alanine, glycine and lysine. The gene belongs to a family of at least two genes. Northern blot analysis revealed that the level of kin1 mRNA is increased 20-fold in cold-treated plants. In addition to being expressed in cold, kin1 mRNAlso induced by water stress and the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) which has been suggested to be a common mediator for osmotic stress responses and cold acclimation in plants. Sequence comparisons showed that the kin1 gene product has similarities to fish antifreeze proteins (AFPs).     

Molecular cloning and characterization of copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase of Paragonimus westermani

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.     

Characterization of cDNAs encoding CuZn-superoxide dismutases in Scots pine

A Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) cDNA library was screened with two heterologous cDNA probes (P31 and T10) encoding cytosolic and chloroplastic superoxide dismutases (SOD) from tomato. Several positive clones for cytosolic and chloroplastic superoxide dismutases were isolated, subcloned, mapped and sequenced. One of the cDNA clones (PS3) had a full-length open reading frame of 465 bp corresponding to 154 amino acid residues and showed approximately 85% homology with the amino acid sequences of angiosperm cytosolic SOD counterparts. Another cDNA clone (PST13) was incomplete, but encoded a putative protein with 93% homology to pea and tomato chloroplastic superoxide dismutase. The derived amino acid sequence from both cDNA clones matched the corresponding N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified mature SOD isozymes. Northern blot hybridizations showed that, cytosolic and chloroplastic CuZn-SOD are expressed at different levels in Scots pine organs. Sequence data and Southern blot hybridization confirm that CuZn-SODs in Scots pine belong to a multigene family. The results are discussed in relation to earlier observations of CuZn-SODs in plants.     

Transgenic resistance to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cymbidium mosaic virus</Emphasis> in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dendrobium</Emphasis> expressing the viral capsid protein gene

A Taiwan isolate of Cymbidium mosaic virus (CymMV-CS) was isolated from infected Cymbidium sinesis Willd. The cDNA of the capsid protein (CP) gene was synthesized and sequenced. Alignment of this CP gene with other reported CPs revealed homologies of 92–98% at the nucleotide level and 98–99% at the amino acid level. To generate virus-resistant varieties, the CymMV-CS CP gene was transformed into Dendrobium protocorms through particle bombardment. Transformants were selected on medium supplemented with 20 mg/L hygromycin and the presence of the transgene was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction, Southern, Northern and Western blot analyses. Transgenic Dendrobium harboring the CymMV CP gene expressed a very low level of virus accumulation four months post-inoculation with CymMV, as detected by ELISA. The transgenic plants exhibited much milder symptoms than the non-transgenic plants upon challenge with CymMV virionsSequence data reported from this article have been deposited at the GenBank Data Libraries under Accession No. AY429021.     

Enhancement of superoxide dismutase activity in the leaves of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) in response to polyethylene glycol-induced water stress

Effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced water stress on the activities of total leaf superoxide dismutase (SOD) and chloroplast SOD (including thylakoid-bound SOD and stroma SOD) are described in white clover (Trifolium repens L.) grown in solution culture from rooted cuttings. Both leaf SOD and chloroplast SOD activities were markedly enhanced with increasing concentration of PEG stress, generating osmotic potentials around the roots 0, −0.5, −1.0, −1.5 MPa. The effects increased with time up to 72 h. Chloroplast Fe-containing SOD represented about 30% of the total leaf SOD activity in the control plants and a significant increase in chloroplast SOD activity was found during the stress period. This accounted for about 35.5–71.1% of the total leaf SOD activity. The proportion of chloroplast SOD in total leaf SOD not only increased with the decreasing of osmotic potential, but also increased with incubation time. Furthermore, the increase in thylakoid-bound SOD activity was much higher than that of stroma SOD in chloroplast of plants under water stress. The enhanced chloroplastic SOD activity, especially thylakoid-bound SOD activity, demonstrated in Trifolium repens suggests that Fe-SOD located in chloroplasts play a more important role than cytosolic Cu/Zn-containing SODs in scavenging O₂ ⁻.