title: Studies of ethylene-forming system in rat liver extract.
abstract: Evidence of enzymatic formation of ethylene from methionine by rat liver extracts is presented. The ethylene production is closely associated with growth of the animal. The conversion of L-methionine to ehtylene is oxygen dependent. Substrate analogue studies show that the ethylene-forming system is structurally specific and requires in the center of the molecule alpha-CH2-CH2- with one end attached to an unencumbered sulfur atom from a thioether moiety and the other end attached to a carboxyl group. Sylfhydryl agents are found to be very effective inhibitors of the ethylene-forming system. The finding of alpha-keto-4-methylthiobutyric acid to be a more efficient precursor of ethylene production suggests the possibility that alpha-keto-4-methylthiobutyric acid may be an intermediate in the biosynthesis of ethylene from methionine in mammalian tissues.
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D005030:Ethylenes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D005030:Ethylenes; D008715:Methionine