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?

Which substrate did you use?

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

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.

nbEditor required

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

So sad that they only have low enzymes there..
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