Terminal synthesis of xanthommatin in drosophila melanogaster. IV. Enzymatic and nonenzymatic catalysis

Nonenzymatic and enzymatic catalysis of the oxidation of 3-hydroxykynurenine (and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid) has been studied and characterized in Drosophila extracts, clearing up some of the confusion surrounding the synthesis of the brown eye pigment, xanthommatin. The genetic basis of the terminal steps in pigment synthesis remains obscure, since all mutants tested have full synthetase activity.