Contribution of catalase to hydrogen peroxide resistance in Enterococcus faecalis.

Michael Baureder, Ronny Reimann, Lars Hederstedt

    Research output: Contribution to journalLetter

    Abstract

    Enterococcus faecalis exhibits high resistance to oxidative stress. Several enzymes are responsible for this trait. The role of alkyl hydroperoxide reductase (Ahp), thiol peroxidase (Tpx), and NADH peroxidase (Npr) in oxidative stress defense was recently characterized. Enterococcus faecalis, in contrast to many other streptococci, contains a catalase (KatA), but this enzyme can only be formed when the bacterium is supplied with heme. We have used this heme dependency of catalase activity and mutants deficient in KatA and Npr to investigate the role of the catalase in resistance against exogenous and endogenous hydrogen peroxide stress. The results demonstrate that in the presence of environmental heme catalase contributes to the protection against toxic effects of hydrogen peroxide.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)160-164
    JournalFEMS Microbiology Letters
    Volume331
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2012

    Subject classification (UKÄ)

    • Microbiology

    Free keywords

    • oxidative stress
    • heme
    • NADH peroxidase
    • streptococci

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