Purification and Physico-Chemical Properties of Laccase

" The properties of laccase isolated from the latexof the lacquer tree have been studied by Keilin and Mann1,2, Yakushiji3, Bertrand4-7 and Tissieres8,9, but as to its precise chemical nature there still remain a number of unanswered question. The enzyme has been shown to contain copper atoms, but their state and function in the mechanism of enzyme action has not yet been elucidated. Keilin and Mann2 reported that laccase is accompanied by a blue pigment. The nature of this pigment, they believed to be free from copper and protein, still remains quite obscure. In the work reported below, we succeeded in purifying the enzyme to a satisfactory degree by using the techniques of column chromatography and zone electrophoresis. The experimental results dealing with the physico-chemical properties of this purified enzyme preparation from the subject of this paper."