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The primary structure of Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase from rabbit liver was investigated. The reduced and S-carboxymethylated enzyme was treated with cyanogen bromide, trypsin or Staphylococcus aureus proteinase V8. The resulting peptides were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography and sequenced by automated Edman degradation. With the exception of the N- and C-terminus the complete sequence was established by means of overlapping peptides. The N-terminus is blocked and thus not susceptible to Edman degradation. The amino-acid composition of the tryptic N-terminal peptide corresponds to that of the cytoplasmatic Cu-Zn superoxide dismutases of other mammals investigated. The chromatographic behaviour of these N-terminal peptides on a reversed phase C18 column is also identical, thus suggesting also for the rabbit Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase the N-terminal sequence Ac-Ala-Thr-Lys. The C-terminus was demonstrated to have the sequence -Ile-Ala-Pro by enzymatic degradation with carboxypeptidase Y. The complete amino-acid sequence of the rabbit Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase consists of 152 amino-acids and shows the expected homology to other Cu-Zn enzymes published so far. The aspartate and six histidine residues known to complex the metal ions are conserved at homologous positions. This also applies for the arginine residue near the C-terminus which is supposed to direct the anionic superoxide radical towards the active centre of the enzyme. The amino acid sequence of the rabbit Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase corresponds to those of other mammals in more than 80% of its amino-acid residues. From a total of 152 amino-acid residues the rabbit shares with rat 128, with mouse 130, with horse 127, with pig 126/127, with cattle 130 and with man 131 amino acids in homologous positions. However the Cu-Zn superoxide dismutases of closely related mammals like rats and mice differ in only five amino acid residues of their sequence. A phylogenetic closer relatedness between lagomorphs and rodents than between other orders of mammals, could not be derived from the sequence data given. Rather rodents and lagomorphs are to be considered as two evolutionary independent orders of mammals.

The primary structure of Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase isolated from rat liver was determined. The enzyme was reduced, carboxymethylated and fragmented by treatment with cyanogen bromide, trypsin or Staphylococcus aureus proteinase V8. The resulting peptides were separated by gel filtration or high performance liquid chromatography and sequenced by automated Edman degradation. The total sequence of 153 amino-acid residues per subunit was reconstructed from overlapping peptides. Rat Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase proved to be closely related to the corresponding sequences of other mammals in having more than 80% identical amino-acid residues in homologous position and an acetylated N-terminus. Comparison of the rat Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase structure with those of other species suggests a similar phylogenetic distance between rat, man, pig, cattle and horse and a rapid molecular divergence during vertebrate development compared to earlier evolutionary periods.

Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase was purified to homogeneity from mixed pig blood and from a single pig. The isolated product had an absorption ratio 280/260 nm of 0.91, a specific activity of 3 000 +/- 200 units (cytochrome c reduction test), and an isoelectric point of 7.5 (chromatofocusing) or 7.25 (isoelectric focusing), respectively. Sequence determination was performed by automated solid-phase Edman degradation of fragments of the reduced S-carboxymethylated proteins obtained by digestion with trypsin or Staphylococcus aureus proteinase V8 or treatment with cyanogen bromide. Acetylation of the N-terminus was confirmed by comparing high performance liquid chromatography retention times of N-terminal peptides with those of authentic samples. Sequencing of the superoxide dismutase of mixed porcine blood revealed heterogeneity (70% Leu; 30% Val at position 29), whereas the sample derived from a single French pig proved to be homogeneous (100% Leu at position 29). The complete sequence of pig superoxide dismutase comprised 152 amino-acid residues, which corresponds to a theoretical molecular mass of 15 800 Da per subunit, and exhibited the expected high homology with those of other mammals. The aspartate and all 7 histidine residues known to complex the metal ions in bovine superoxide dismutase are conserved in the porcine sequence at the homologous positions Asp82 and His45, His47, His62, His70, His79, His119, respectively.

The complete amino-acid sequence of Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase from white cabbage (Brassica oleracea) is reported. The polypeptide chain consists of 151 amino acids and has a molecular mass of 15,604 Da. The primary structure of the reduced and S-carboxymethylated protein was determined by automated solid phase sequence analysis of tryptic fragments and peptides obtained by digestion with Staphylococcus aureus proteinase V8. The protein shows a free amino terminus as was found for all non-mammalian Cu-Zn enzymes so far sequenced. Comparison of the amino-acid sequence from the plant Cu-Zn enzyme with those from nine eukaryotic enzymes reveals a high degree of homology (50-64%) among these enzymes. As already described for all the eukaryotic Cu-Zn superoxide dismutases also the plant enzyme shows a low homology (about 28%) with the bacteriocuprein of Photobacterium leiognathi. However, the amino-acid residues involved in metal binding, the half-cystine residues forming the intermolecular disulfide bridge, one of the arginine and some glycine and proline residues are conserved in all eleven Cu-Zn superoxide dismutases. Although the precise role of the 23 completely conserved residues is not yet completely understood, they appear to almost define the minimum structural requirements for optimizing the superoxide dismutation at the catalytic site, since functional differences between the eleven enzymes are not detectable.