Mutarotase in higher plants: distribution and properties.

The enzyme mutarotase from mammalian tissues catalyzes interconversion of anomeric forms of glucose and structurally related sugars; it may be involved in transport of sugars. Isolation and species distribution of a similar enzyme in higher plants are described. The enzyme from green pepper (Capsicum frutescens) was purified 230-fold. It differs from the mammalian enzyme in both substrate specificity and lack of inhibition by 1-deoxyglucose and phloridzin.