Oxidative stress in bacteria and protein damage by reactive oxygen species Authors Elisa Cabiscol Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lleida, Spain Jordi Tamarit Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lleida, Spain Joaquim Ros Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lleida, Spain Keywords: oxygen, oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species, protein oxidation, carbonyl groups Abstract The advent of O2 in the atmosphere was among the first major pollution events occurred on earth The reaction between ferrous iron, very abundant in the reductive early atmosphere, and oxygen results in the formation of harmful superoxide and hydroxyl radicals, which affect all macromolecules (DNA, lipids and proteins). Living organisms have to build up mechanisms to protect themselves against oxidative stress, with enzymes such as catalase and superoxide dismutase, small proteins like thioredoxin and glutaredoxin, and molecules such as glutathione. Bacterial genetic responses to oxidative stress are controlled by two major transcriptional regulators (OxyR and SoxRS). This paper reviews major key points in the generation of reactive oxygen species in bacteria, defense mechanisms and genetic responses to oxidative stress. Special attention is paid to the oxidative damage to proteins. Downloads PDF Published 2010-03-15 Issue Vol. 3 No. 1 (2000) Section Review Articles License Submission of a manuscript to International Microbiology implies: that the work described has not been published before, including publication in the World Wide Web (except in the form of an Abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis); that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere; that all the coauthors have agreed to its publication. The corresponding author signs for and accepts responsability for releasing this material and will act on behalf of any and all coauthors regarding the editorial review and publication process.If an article is accepted for publication in International Microbiology, the authors (or other copyright holder) must transfer to the journal the right–not exclusive–to reproduce and distribute the article including reprints, translations, photographic reproductions, microform, electronic form (offline, online) or any other reproductions of similar nature. Nevertheless, all article in International Microbiology will be available on the Internet to any reader at no cost. The journal allows users to freely download, copy, print, distribute, search, and link to the full text of any article, provided the authorship and source of the published article is cited. The copyright owner's consent does not include copying for new works, or resale. In these cases, the specific written permission of International Microbiology must first be obtained.Authors are requested to create a link to the published article on the journal's website. The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The original publication is available on LINK at <http://www.im.microbios.org>. Please use the appropiate URL for the article in LINK. Articles disseminated via LINK are indexed, abstracted, and referenced by many abstracting and information services, bibliographic networks, subscription agencies, library networks, and consortia.
