title: Important role of fungal intracellular laccase for melanin synthesis: purification and characterization of an intracellular laccase from Lentinula edodes fruit bodies.
abstract: A laccase (EC 1.10.3.2) was isolated from the fully browned gills of Lentinula edodes fruit bodies. The enzyme was purified to a homogeneous preparation using hydrophobic, cation-exchange and size-exclusion chromatography. SDS-PAGE analysis showed the purified laccase, Lcc 2, to be a monomeric protein of 58.0 kDa. The enzyme had an isoelectric point of around pH 6.9. The optimum pH for enzyme activity was around 3.0 against 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)diammonium salt (ABTS), and it was most active at 40 degrees C and stable up to 50 degrees C. The enzyme contained 8.6 % carbohydrate and some copper atoms. The enzyme oxidized ABTS, p-phenylenediamine, pyrogallol, guaiacol, 2,6-dimethoxyphenol, catechol and ferulic acid, but not veratryl alcohol and tyrosine. Beta-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)alanine (L-DOPA), which was not oxidized by a laccase previously reported from the culture filtrate of L. edodes, was also oxidized by Lcc 2, and the oxidative product of L-dopa was identified as L-DOPA quinone by HPLC analysis. Lcc 2 was able to oxidize phenolic compounds extracted from fresh gills to brown-coloured products, suggesting a role for laccase in melanin synthesis in this strain.
authors.affiliation: Iwate Biotechnology Research Center, 22-174-4 Narita, Kitakami, Iwate 024-0003, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.affiliation: Iwate Biotechnology Research Center, 22-174-4 Narita, Kitakami, Iwate 024-0003, Japan.
authors.forename: Maki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawata
authors.affiliation: Iwate Biotechnology Research Center, 22-174-4 Narita, Kitakami, Iwate 024-0003, Japan.
authors.forename: Hisayuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Iwate Biotechnology Research Center, 22-174-4 Narita, Kitakami, Iwate 024-0003, Japan.
authors.forename: Machiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.affiliation: Iwate Biotechnology Research Center, 22-174-4 Narita, Kitakami, Iwate 024-0003, Japan.
authors.forename: Kumiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.affiliation: Iwate Biotechnology Research Center, 22-174-4 Narita, Kitakami, Iwate 024-0003, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshikazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takesawa
authors.affiliation: Iwate Biotechnology Research Center, 22-174-4 Narita, Kitakami, Iwate 024-0003, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kanda
authors.affiliation: Iwate Biotechnology Research Center, 22-174-4 Narita, Kitakami, Iwate 024-0003, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshitsugu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D042845:Laccase / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D008543:Melanins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D020942:Shiitake Mushrooms / Q000201:enzymology*; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D008543:Melanins; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D042845:Laccase