Oxidation of tyrosine to dopachrome by peroxidase isolated from murine melanoma.

Peroxidase, isolated from B16 mouse melanoma, converted tyrosine to dopachrome in the presence of either dopa or dihydroxyfumarate co-factor. A suspended homogenate of cloned, cultured B16 mouse melanoma cells also showed peroxidatic conversion of tyrosine to dopachrome in the presence of dihydroxyfumarate co-factor. The findings confirm previous histochemical, autoradiographic-histochemical, and EM-histochemical studies showing that melanoma peroxidase can convert tyrosine to melanin.