Granule-bound tyrosinase: solubilization and its relation to the soluble form of tyrosinase

Disc gel electrophoresis of tyrosinase solubilized by sodium deoxycholate (DOC) from the particle fraction of B16 mouse melanoma was carried out in the presence of DOC. A single tyrosinase band, considered to be T3, was detected at the Rx value of 0.60 against Coomassie brilliant blue. The T3 band which is located between T1 and T2 seems to be distinct from the soluble forms of tyrosinase. Its molecular weight was estimated to be 102,000. When treated with proteolytic enzymes or refrigerated, the T3 molecule converted into a molecule whose mobility was equivalent tothat of T1.