酚氧化酶的研究进展

 酚氧化酶（phenoloxidase, PO） 又名酶，是一种普遍存在于动物和植物体内的铜离子酶，具有多种生物学功能。酚氧化酶可把单酚羟化成二酚（ 如多巴），接着二酚被氧化成醌，在非酶促反应条件下，醌形成的zui终产物是黑色素。的黑色素对昆虫的正常生长发育具有重要作用。酚氧化酶一般以无活性的酚氧化酶原（prophenoloxidase, proPO） 形式存在于昆虫的血淋巴中。从昆虫酚氧化酶的结构、分布、活化的分子机制和功能及研究进展等方面进行综述。
Abstract: Phenoloxidase （PO）, also known as tyrosinase, is a copper-containing enzyme widely distributed in animals and plants, and possesses diverse biological functions. It can catalyse the hydroxylation of monophenols to diphenols （such as dopa）, then the diphenols are oxidized to quinone, which is polymerized non-enzymetically into melanin. The melanin plays very important roles in normal growth and development of insects. PO generally exsits in the hemolymph of insects as an inactive form called prophenoloxidase （proPO）. In this paper, we mainly review the structure, distribution, molecular mechanisms of activation, function and research progress of PO in insects.