Induction of superoxide dismutases in Photobacterium leiognathi.

We investigated the induction of Cu,Zn-SOD (bacteriocuprein) and Fe-SOD in Photobacterium leiognathi DK-A1 which was isolated from the light organ of the squid, Droteuthis kensaki. The induction of superoxide dismutases depended on the addition of paraquat to the medium. Induction of SOD by paraquat was attributed mostly to the bacteriocuprein by measuring of the activities of both SODs by using densitometry of isoelectrofocusing gel. When paraquat was added to the culture at various times in the early log phase of growth, the most efficient induction of the SODs, which was measured at the time of harvesting the cells (17 hours after inoculation), was observed when paraquat was added at 60 min after the inoculation. Catalase was not significantly induced by the addition of paraquat or increasing of oxygen concentration. We developed an assay of SOD by modification of a cytochrome c-xanthine oxidase method using a computer equipped absorption spectrophotometer.