Investigations on SOD in extremophile and non-extremophile plants

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can cause multiple damage to diverse biological structures, but they can also have beneficial effects, e.g. in signaling pathways [1]. Antioxidants scavenge cells from ROS and adjust the physiological steady state between oxidative and antioxidative processes. As one highly important agent of the enzymatic antioxidant system [2], we investigated the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in 27 extremophile and non-extremophile plant species. The highest SOD activities were found in the extremophile plants Crassula multiflora Schönland & Baker f, Crassula mesembryanthemoides D. Dietr, Aeonium haworthii Salm-Dyck ex Webb & Berthel., and Aeonium viscatum Bolle. However, other extremophile species like Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L, Trichodiadema densum Schwantes, and Aloe juvenna Brandham & S. Carter showed lower SOD activities than the investigated non-extremophile plants. Thus, we did not find any correlation between SOD activity and extremophilicity.

[1] Holmström KM, Finkel T. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2014; 15: 411 – 421

[2] Alscher RG, Erturk N, Heath LS. J Exp Bot 2002; 53: 1331 – 1341