0000000000185940
AUTHOR
Sirpa Saarinen
Occurrence of acid and neutral carboxypeptidases in germinating cereals
High neutral metallocarboxypeptidase activity (EC 3.4.17) has earlier been detected in young seedlings of rice (Oryza sativa L.) using benzyloxycarbonyl-L-phenylalanyl-L-alanine (Z-Phe-Ala) as substrate at pH 7. This finding was confirmed, and it was observed that the activity could be assayed with higher specificity and sensitivity by using Z-Gly-Ala or Z-Gly-Phe as substrate at pH 6.5–7. No corresponding activity was detected in seedlings of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Himalaya), oats (Avena sativa L.) or maize (Zea mays L.). The seedlings of the four cereals possessed similar activities of acid carboxypeptidases (EC 3.4.16; hydrolysis of Z-Phe-Ala and Z-Ala-Phe at pH 5.2 and of Z-Ala-…