Description
SOD3 (Superoxide Dismutase 3), also called Superoxide Dismutase extracellular, EC-SOD, and Cu-Zn, is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the SOD3 gene. This gene encodes a member of the superoxide dismutase (SOD) protein family. SODs are antioxidant enzymes that catalyze the dismutation of two superoxide radicals into hydrogen peroxide and oxygen. Hendrickson et al. (1990) mapped the SOD3 gene to 4pter-q21 by a study of somatic cell hybrids. Stern et al. (2003) narrowed the assignment to 4p15.3-p15.1 by somatic cell and radiation hybrid analysis, linkage mapping, and FISH. The product of this gene is thought to protect the brain, lungs, and other tissues from oxidative stress. The protein is secreted into the extracellular space and forms a glycosylated homotetramer that is anchored to the extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell surfaces through an interaction with heparan sulfate proteoglycan and collagen. A fraction of the protein is cleaved near the C-terminus before secretion to generate circulating tetramers that do not interact with the ECM