Identification of an atypical form of 30 kDa SOD--a possible virulence factor in clinical isolates of Shigella spp.

Reviews on the pathogenic mechanisms of Shigella species show a lacunae in the understanding of the bacterial antioxidant defense system and its regulations. This study was done to investigate the regulation of expression of antioxidant enzymes in clinical isolates of Shigella species, under various growth conditions. The in vitro expression of superoxide dismutase in the clinical isolates of Shigella spp., is modulated by both endogenous and exogenous factors. During aerobic and iron repleted growth conditions, the expression of the MnSOD and FeSOD enzymes were higher, and an atypical SOD was also expressed. However, under anaerobic growth conditions and in plasmid-cured strains, the antioxidant enzyme activities were decreased and the atypical SOD was not expressed. Absence of the atypical form of SOD may be due to the low oxygen environment. Plasmid-encoded factors may also play a role in the expression of this SOD, which had a molecular weight of approximately 30 kDa. In the rat ileal loop ligation assay, mild lesions were observed only in the intestinal microvilli of rats injected with plasmid-cured strains of Shigella spp., suggesting that plasmid-encoded factors, including those that regulate the expression of the atypical SOD, are essential for the virulence of Shigella spp.