Produced in E. coli. Tyrosinase is a copper-containing enzyme that catalyzes four steps in the melanin and catecholamine synthesis pathways.

• Oxidizes monophenols, but like catecholoxidase (EC 1.10.3.1), it can also oxidize o-diphenols to o-quinones
• Involved in cancer, Parkinson’s, pigmentation diseases, Alzheimer’s and obesity
• Much of the research and inhibitor screening has used mushroom tyrosinase

Like tyrosine hydroxylase (EC 1.13.16.2), it can catalyze the formation of L-DOPA in the brain and nervous system. However, mushroom tyrosinase interacts very differently with substrates and inhibitors compared to the human enzyme.

In addition, commercially available mushroom tyrosinase is not always of good purity. Recombinant versions of human tyrosinase amino acids 1-345 or 1-378, also available commercially, are not functional due the lack of critical catalytic and structural residues.