Di-isodityrosine, a novel tetrameric derivative of tyrosine in plant cell wall proteins: A new potential cross-link

A novel amino acid, di-isodityrosine, has been isolated from hydrolysates of cell walls of tomato cell culture. Analysis by UV spectrometry, partial derivatization with 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene and mass and NMR spectrometry show that the compound is composed to two molecules of isodityrosine, joined by a biphenyl linkage. The possible reactions involved in the formation of this molecule in vivo are discussed, as is the possibility that it could form an interpolypeptide linkage between cell wall proteins such as extensin, and hence aid in the insolubilization of the protein in the wall.