Model
Digital Document
Publisher
Florida Atlantic University Digital Library
Description
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are molecular oxygen-derived molecules
that are exceedingly reactive, often generated as free radical bi-products of
mitochondrial respiration, which cause oxidative stress that leads to aging. To
avoid the generation of ROS, aerobic organisms have antioxidant defense
mechanisms that use enzymes such as Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) to convert
the superoxide radicals into hydrogen peroxide and oxygen. Manganesecontaining
SOD (Mn-SOD), a product of the SOD2 gene is found in all eukaryotic
organisms in the mitochondrial matrix, including T. scripta (red-eared slider
turtle). Extraordinarily, T. scripta can live without oxygen for long periods of
time without experiencing adverse effects when oxygen is again available. The
purpose of our experiment is to clone the T. scripta SOD2 gene, and test its
activity. A partial fragment of the gene has been isolated by screening the cDNA
library, and we are currently working on finding the remaining sequence.
that are exceedingly reactive, often generated as free radical bi-products of
mitochondrial respiration, which cause oxidative stress that leads to aging. To
avoid the generation of ROS, aerobic organisms have antioxidant defense
mechanisms that use enzymes such as Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) to convert
the superoxide radicals into hydrogen peroxide and oxygen. Manganesecontaining
SOD (Mn-SOD), a product of the SOD2 gene is found in all eukaryotic
organisms in the mitochondrial matrix, including T. scripta (red-eared slider
turtle). Extraordinarily, T. scripta can live without oxygen for long periods of
time without experiencing adverse effects when oxygen is again available. The
purpose of our experiment is to clone the T. scripta SOD2 gene, and test its
activity. A partial fragment of the gene has been isolated by screening the cDNA
library, and we are currently working on finding the remaining sequence.
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