An Inhibitor of Oxalic Acid Oxidase in Beet Extracts

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Abstract
Oxalic acid oxidase (OAO) was demonstrated in a thin peripheral layer of the roots of beets (Beta vulgaris), where the enzyme is probably associated with mitochondria. Extreme fluctuations in activity were encountered. The elimination of OAO-activity in extracts from young beets by homogenates from old beets suggests the presence of an inhibitor in the latter. Substituting soluble OAO from the moss, Mnium affine, for the particulate OAO from beets, it was possible to demonstrate in various ways that the factor responsible for OAO-inhibition was NO3. Concentrations as low as 5 x 10-5 [image] were effective. The activity-fluctuations in beets could be accounted for quantitatively by assuming that NO3 was the sole inhibitor present, but the possibility that other factors may play a role in other cases has been recognized. Some implications of the present findings have been discussed.

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