Radiolytic dimerization of tyrosine in alkaline solutions of poly-L-tyrosine, glycyl-L-tyrosine and tyrosine

Blue fluorescence characteristic of dityrosine appeared in γ-irradiated solutions of tyrosine, glycyl-L-tyrosine or polytyrosine (MW 110,000). The intensity of fluorescence was used for the determination of the dityrosine concentration in hydrolysed samples. The radiation-induced formation of dityrosine depended on pH and on the presence of oxygen during radiolysis carried out with a total dose of the order of 1000 Gy. The presence of oxygen in the system suppressed the formation of dityrosine in solution at low or neutral pH but had no effect on this process in alkaline solutions. Except for the radiolysis of air-saturated poly-L-tyrosine solutions, where G(Dityrosine) = 0.35, the yields of dityrosine at high pH were lower than the yields obtained during radiolysis at low pH and in the absence of oxygen. (author)