Copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD) is an abundant enzyme that scavenges superoxide radicals. To independently examine the regulation of the Cu/Zn SOD gene of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the 882 bp upstream region of the Cu/Zn SOD gene was fused into the promoterless beta-galactosidase gene of the shuttle vector YEp357R, which generated the fusion plasmid pSC601. Cupric chloride (4.5 microM), aluminum chloride (10 mM), cadmium chloride (30 microM, 50 microM), mercuric chloride (1 microM), zinc chloride (11 mM), and hydrogen peroxide (0.3 mM) enhanced the synthesis of beta-galactosidase from the fusion plasmid. These results indicate that the expression of the S. pombe Cu/Zn SOD gene is, therefore, regulated by various metal ions, however superoxide-generating menadione did not affect the expression of the S. pombe Cu/Zn SOD gene. The expression of the S. pombe Cu/Zn SOD gene is also regulated by the transcription factor Pap1.