Abstract
DURING an examination of the amino-acid composition of the larval cuticle of the blow-fly, Calliphora vomitoria, it was found that phenylalanine and tyrosine were readily removed by extraction with water at 50° C. for 2 hr. Surprisingly, however, these amino-acids could not be recognized in the extract. Instead, alanine and ninhydrin-negative diphenolic compounds were found. This observation suggested that the cuticle is capable of hydroxylating aromatic amino-acids in a manner similar to the action of the artificial system studied by Dalgliesh1.
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Dalgliesh, C. E., Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 58, 214 (1955).
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DENNELL, R. Non-specific Hydroxylation of Aromatic Amino-Acids by an Insect Cuticle. Nature 180, 1070–1071 (1957). https://doi.org/10.1038/1801070a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1801070a0
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