Abstract
TYROSINE is catabolized in the liver. One of the steps involved is the oxidation of p-hydroxyphenyl pyruvic acid to 2: 5-dihydroxyphenyl pyruvic acid. The enzyme system which catalyses this reaction, p-hydroxyphenyl-pyruvic hydroxylase, is believed to require ascorbic acid as a cofactor. If the reaction is blocked, p-hydroxyphenyl pyruvic acid accumulates and is excreted in increased amounts in the urine. Other pathways for the removal of p-hydroxyphenyl pyruvic acid are utilized, for example, conversion to p-hydroxyphenyl acetic and p-hydroxy-phenyl lactic acids, and these compounds can also be excreted in increased amounts in the urine. The excretion of excessive amounts of these substances in urine is known as tyrosyluria.
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ROBINSON, R., WARBURTON, F. Tyrosine Metabolism in Human Scurvy. Nature 212, 1605 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/2121605a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2121605a0
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