A new polyphenol oxidase (PPO) named PPO II was purified from tobacco (Nicotiana tobacum) by using acetone powder, ammonium sulfate precipitation, and column chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50, Sephadex G-75, and CM-Sephadex C-50. It has an active site of a pair of type 3 coppers bridged to phenolate oxygen, which represents a new catalytic mechanism for polyphenol oxidase. PAGE, SDS-PAGE, and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry of the purified enzyme demonstrated that the enzyme is a single band with a molecular mass 35,600 Da. Biochemical characteristics include the optimum pH at 6.0, optimum temperature at 40degreesC, and K-m of 1.2 mM for catechol as substrate (pH 6.5, 30degreesC). Substrate specificity studies indicate that the enzyme is of the catechol oxidase family. PPO II inhibits cultures of Escherichia coli and it accumulates on the wounded sites of tobacco leaves indicating that it may act as a defense role in plant defense systems. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).