Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory

Low protease in tropical soils

Low protease in tropical soils
on 07/01/2009 05:04 by Matt Wallenstein

We recently measured several enzyme activities in a tropical soil from Costa Rica. Protease activities were very low. We couldn't find much to compare it to in the literature. Has anyone else found similar results, or have any ideas why protease would be so low?

Mat
Reply: Low protease in tropical soils
on 07/07/2009 04:48 by Ellen

Which substrate did you use?

Ellen
>Reply: Low protease in tropical soils
on 07/07/2009 04:56 09:42 by Matt Wallenstein

we actually detected leucine amino peptidase. The substrate was L-Leucine 7-amido-4-methylcoumarin.

Matt
>Reply: Low protease in tropical soils
on 07/09/2009 03:31 09:42 by Ellen

We found very different levels of activity of peptidase in forest soils depending on the substrates used for forest soils in temperate soil. Some N-cycling enzymes (urease, arginine deaminase, alanine aminopeptidase, lysyl-alanine aminopeptidase) showed increased activities whereas others (N-acetyl-glucosaminidase, protease, leucine aminopeptidase, alanyl-alanyl-phenine aminopeptidase activities) decreased under reduced N treatment. Therefore, I want to recommend using some alternative substrates. (please see: Enowashu E., Poll C., Lamersdorf N., Kandeler E. (2009) Microbial enzyme activities under reduced nitrogen deposition in a spruce forest soil. Applied Soil Ecology doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2009.05.003.

Ellen
>Reply: Low protease in tropical soils
on 07/14/2009 17:05 by Baduarte

Try to use casein as substrate. This way you will have generic protease activity and not a specific enzyme like you had.

Baduarte