| 12715897 |
Missirlis F, Rahlfs S, Dimopoulos N, Bauer H, Becker K, Hilliker A, Phillips JP, Jackle H: A putative glutathione peroxidase of Drosophila encodes a thioredoxin peroxidase that provides resistance against oxidative stress but fails to complement a lack of catalase activity. Biol Chem. 2003 Mar;384(3):463-72.
Cellular defense systems against reactive oxygen species (ROS) include thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) and glutathione reductase (GR). They generate sulfhydryl-reducing systems which are coupled to antioxidant enzymes, the thioredoxin and glutathione peroxidases (TPx and GPx). The fruit fly Drosophila lacks a functional GR, suggesting that the thioredoxin system is the major source for recycling glutathione. Whole genome in silico analysis identified two non-selenium containing putative GPx genes. We examined the biochemical characteristics of one of these gene products and found that it lacks GPx activity and functions as a TPx. Transgene-dependent overexpression of the newly identified Glutathione peroxidase homolog with thioredoxin peroxidase activity (Gtpx-1) gene increases resistance to experimentally induced oxidative stress, but does not compensate for the loss of catalase, an enzyme which, like GTPx-1, functions to eliminate hydrogen peroxide. The results suggest that GTPx-1 is part of the Drosophila Trx antioxidant defense system but acts in a genetically distinct pathway or in a different cellular compartment than catalase. |
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