Glutathione dependent enzymes and antioxidant defences in truffles: organisms living in microaerobic environments

Truffles live in an environment poor in oxygen, and are a good model for in vestigation of enzymatic adaptation to microaerobic conditions. We studied the antioxidant and glutathione dependent enzymatic endowment of Tuber truf fles. Superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase Se dependent, glutathione reductase, glyoxalase 1 and glyoxalase 2 are expressed and corr elate with the microaerobic metabolism, growth rate and mycorrhizal symbios is of truffles. A very low or undetectable glutathione S-transferase activi ty was found. For comparison the same enzyme activities were investigated i n Agaricus bisporus which is epigeous and non-mycorrhizal.