1. It was found that the yeast cells oxidize
o-phthalate coupled with aerobic oxidation of various substances (such as formate, acetate, lactate, ethanol, formaldehyde, vanillin,
etc.) whose dehydrogenation is known to be catalyzed by DPN-linked dehydrogenases contained in yeast cells. Per mole of phthalate oxidized, 6.7 moles of oxygen were consumed and 6.3 moles of carbon dioxide were evolved.
2. It was revealed that a similar phenomenon could be brought about also by a cell-free preparation consisting of DPN, a labile enzymatic fraction, and a relatively stable fraction consisting various DPN-linked dehydrogenases as well as catalase. In this case, however, no liberation of CO
2 occurred and only l mole of O
2 was absorbed per mole of phthalate consumed. Nitro-aniline test showed that some phenolic compound(s) was formed as the product of phthalate oxidation.
3. Using the cell-free preparation it was demonstrated that the coupled oxidation of phthalate is inhibited by the addition in excess of catalase. The inhibition of the same process was also brought about by the addition of methanol, which is known to cause, in the presence of catalase and hydrogen peroxide, the trapping of hydrogen peroxide. It was also shown that in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, phthalate is oxidized without being coupled with the oxidation of DPN-linked substrates.
4. Based on these observation it was inferred that in the coupled oxida-tion of phthalate, there occurs an intermediate formation of H
2O
2, which may function-in the presence of some peroxidase-like enzyme-as the virtual oxidant for phthalate. The state of affairs may reasonably be pictured as has been mentioned in p. 559, where AH
2 stands for the DPN-linked “co-substrate” such as formate or alcohol.
5. The reaction (both
in vivo and
in vitro) is strongly inhibited by cyanide and azide, but not by α, α'-dipyridyl and diethyldithiocarbamate. It is also inhibited by SH-inhibitors (
e.g. monoiodoacetate and Hg
++-ion) and by some aromatic monocarboxylic acids (
e.g. salicylic, benzoic, and phenylacetic acids). Fluoride inhibits the
in vivo-reaction.
6. Besides phthalate the following substances were found to be oxidized in a similar manner, although at considerably lower rates than phthalate: 4-and 3-hydroxyphthalates, phenylglycine-
o-carboxylate and
p-hydroxybenzoate.
The author wishes to thank Profs. Dr. H. Tamiya and Dr. A. Takamiy a of Tokyo University for their kind advice and interest in this work. The author is also indebted to Dr. M. Shiota of Ochanomizu University and Dr. S. Natori of Tokyo University for their helpful suggestions in the preparatory work of hydroxy derivatives of phthalate.
This work was partly aided by a Grant from the Scientific Research Fund of the Ministry of Education.
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