Expression of human extracellular superoxide dismutase in Chinese hamster ovary cells and characterization of the product.

A complementary DNA clone from human placenta, encoding human extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD; superoxide:superoxide oxidoreductase, EC 1.15.1.1), has recently been isolated and characterized. An expression plasmid, based on the EC-SOD complementary DNA, was transfected into Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO-K1). The transfected cells secreted human EC-SOD to the culture medium. The secreted recombinant (r) EC-SOD was isolated in high yield with a three-step procedure beginning with immobilized monoclonal anti-EC-SOD antibodies. The properties of the rEC-SOD were compared with native (n) EC-SOD isolated from human umbilical cords. The specific activities and amino-terminal amino acid sequences were identical. The amino acid compositions were virtually identical and very similar to the composition deduced from the complementary DNA sequence. Both rEC-SOD and nEC-SOD contained 4 Cu and 4 Zn atoms per molecule, and the presence of Zn in EC-SOD is thus now established. The rEC-SOD produced is type C, since its affinity for heparin-Sepharose was identical to that of nEC-SOD type C. Both enzymes bound to concanavalin A, lentil lectin, and wheat germ lectin and are thus glycoproteins. rEC-SOD and nEC-SOD seem to have the same subunit structure and composition as analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel chromatography.