[O-Methylation of epinephrine, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid and 6,7-dihydroxycoumarin in yeasts (author's transl)].

In the yeasts C. albicans, C. tropicalis, and C. stellatoidea but not in C. krusei, R.rubra, and S. cerevisiae enzyme activity was found by which--as by the catechol-O-methyltransferase (EC 2.1.1.6) found in the liver--the O-methylation of epinephrine to metanephrine and paranephrine, of 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid to 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoic acid and 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzoic acid, and of 6,7-dihydroxycoumarin to 7-hydroxy-6-methoxycoumarin and 6-hydroxy-7-methoxycoumarin is catalysed. When the substrates 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, or 6,7-dihydroxycoumarin or epinephrine were incubated in the presence of S-adenosyl-L-[methyl-14C]methionine and S-adenosylmethionine hydrogensulfate with a 100 000 X g supernatant of C. albicans, C. tropicalis or C. stellatoidea the corresponding O-methylethers were detected in the extracts of the incubation medium by thin-layer chromatography. Final identification of the isomeric radioactive O-methylethers obtained from 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid and 6,7-dihydroxycoumarin was performed after thin-layer chromatographic separation by the reversed isotope dilution technique. The radioactive m- and p-O-methyl derivatives from epinephrine were separated by thin-layer chromatography and then cleaved with periodate to the corresponding aldehydes which were also identified mainly by the reversed isotope dilution technique.