Abstract
PHENOLIC compounds constitute the natural substrates of the enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO). Of these, the major substrates of the enzyme in fruits are reported to be o-diphenols (catechols), for example, chlorogenic acid3 (CGA), l-epicatechin4, and dopamine5. If it were possible to modify irreversibly one of the catechol hydroxyl groups in any manner, this would have the following effects of preventing participation in PPO reactions by constituent phenolic compounds: (1) The modified catechols would themselves no longer be substrates of PPO6, (2) the absence of catechols as primers of monophenolase oxidations could, in turn, eliminate the oxidation of constituent monophenols7. Even the first effect alone would eliminate the major proportion of PPO substrates in many plant tissues, as stated here6.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
No. 2 in a series. No. 1 appeared in J. Biol. Chem., 237, 2926 (1962).
A preliminary account of this work was presented before the American Society of Biological Chemists in Atlantic City, New Jersey, April 1962.
Weurman, C., and Swain, T., Nature, 172, 678 (1953).
Siegelman, H. W., Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 56, 97 (1955).
Griffiths, L. A., Nature, 184, 58 (1959).
Cushing, M. L., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 70, 1184 (1948).
Bordner, C. A., and Nelson, J. M., J. Amer. Chem. Sóc., 61, 1507 (1939).
Axelrod, J., and Tomchick, R., J. Biol. Chem., 233, 702 (1958).
Pellerin, J., and D'Iorio, A., Canad. J. Biochem. Physiol., 36, 491 (1958).
Vorsatz, F., J. prakt. Chem., 145 (n.f.), 265 (1936).
DeEds, F., Booth, A. N., and Jones, F. T., J. Biol. Chem., 225, 615 (1957).
Moores, R. G., McDermott, D. L., and Wood, T. R., Anal. Chem., 20, 620 (1948).
De la Haba, G., Jamieson, G. A., Mudd, S. H., and Richards, H. H., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 81, 3975 (1959).
Corse, J., Sondheimer, E., and Lundin, R. E., Tetrahedron, 18, 1207 (1962).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
FINKLE, B., NELSON, R. Enzyme Reactions with Phenolic Compounds1: Effect of O-Methyltransferase on a Natural Substrate of Fruit Polyphenol Oxidase2. Nature 197, 902–903 (1963). https://doi.org/10.1038/197902a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/197902a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
