Crystalline L-amino acid oxidase of Crotalus adamanteus.

Enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of amino acids have been found in microorganisms, mammals, and lower animals. As yet, few of these have been obtained in a state of high purity, and many studies on these enzymes have therefore been carried out with relatively crude preparations. The detailed mechanism of the flavoprotein-cat.alyzed oxidative dcamination of amino acids remains to be <Jlucidatcd, and it seems probable that studies with pure enzymes will be of value in this effort. In the course of investigations of this reaction, we have developed a procedure for the preparation of the L-amino acid oxidase of Crotalus adamanteus (eastern diamondback rattlesnake) venom in crystalline form (1, 2). The present communication describes the prrparation and some of the properties of the crystalline flavoprotein preparation, which are different from those reported earlier (3) for a highly purified but noncrystalline preparation of L-amino acid oxidase from thr venom of Agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus (cottonmouth moccasin).