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Assay of chitinase and N‐acetylglucosaminidase activity in forest soils with 4‐methylumbelliferyl derivatives
Author(s) -
Ueno Hideto,
Miyashita Kiyotaka,
Sawada Yasuo,
Oba Yutaka
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
zeitschrift für pflanzenernährung und bodenkunde
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1522-2624
pISSN - 0044-3263
DOI - 10.1002/jpln.19911540304
Subject(s) - chitinase , soil water , andosol , podzol , chemistry , substrate (aquarium) , enzyme , biochemistry , soil science , biology , environmental science , ecology
Chitinase and N‐acetylglucosaminidase activities in forest soils were examined by a highly sensitive method using 4‐methylumbelliferyl (4MU) derivatives of N‐acetyl‐D‐glucosamine oligomers as substrates. The method involves the fluorometric estimation of the 4‐MU released through the activity of the soil enzymes when a soil sample and the substrate are incubated in a buffer. The activities of both enzymes decreased markedly with depth in the 4 forest soil profiles studied (i.e. Andosol, Podzol, 2 Cambisols). The activities of these soil enzymes were highly correlated with the carbon and nitrogen content of the soils.