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Superoxide dismutase activity and glutathione concentration during the calcium‐induced differentiation of Physarum polycephalum microplasmodia
Author(s) -
Nations C.,
Allen R. G.,
Balin A. K.,
Reimer R. J.,
Sohal R. S.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of cellular physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.529
H-Index - 174
eISSN - 1097-4652
pISSN - 0021-9541
DOI - 10.1002/jcp.1041330124
Subject(s) - physarum polycephalum , calcium , superoxide dismutase , glutathione , chemistry , biochemistry , cytosol , biophysics , oxidative stress , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , enzyme , organic chemistry
Microplasmodia of Physarum polycephalum differentiate into spherules when the CaCl 2 concentration of their nutrient medium is increased to 54mM (high‐calcium). The salts starvation medium routinely used to induce differentiation contains 8mM CaC12. This medium will not induce spherulation in the absence of a calcium salt; no other metal is essential. High‐calcium also induces the spherulation of a strain of Physarum that had not been previously observed to spherulate. The striking increase in superoxide dismutase activity (SOD) and the decrease in glutathione concentration (GSH) that are characteristic of salts‐induced spherulation do not occur in salts media containing high‐calcium. In the absence of calcium, no significant change in SOD is observed and very little change in GSH occurs. The immediate effect of the oxidative stress associated with spherulation may be the release of calcium stores into the cytosol. The parameters modulating this stress are, in turn, sensitive to exogenous calcium concentrations.