Method of determination of cellulase activity in soils and in microbial cultures, and its calibration

• Published in: Journal of microbiological methods Vol. 24; no. 3; pp. 259 - 267
• Main Authors: Semenov, A.M., Batomunkueva, B.P., Nizovtseva, D.V., Panikov, N.S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 1996
• Subjects: Cellulase activity; Soil; Standard unit of cellulase activity; Trichocladium asperum; Soil; Cellulase activity; Standard unit of cellulase activity
• ISSN: 0167-7012; 1872-8359
• DOI: 10.1016/0167-7012(95)00011-9

A new method has been developed for determining cellulase activity (CA) in soils and in microbial cultures. This procedure is based on the measurement of the loss in strength of a cellophane membrane (Proc. USSR Acad. Sci. Ser. Biol. 3 (1988) 466–471) and has been calibrated with cellulase enzyme activity, so that it is now possible to relate the decline in membrane strength to units of cellulase enzyme. The calibration curve was used to convert the data obtained in relative units (atm h
−1) to standard enzymatic units (μg reduced sugars (red.sug.) ml
−1 h
−1). Using group-specific antibiotics: actidione and chloramphenicol the method was applied to estimate the differential contribution of soil fungi, bacteria and extracellular enzymes to cellulose decomposition in soil. The CA was measured in: pure cultures of fungi,
Trichocladium asperum and
Acremonium charticola (from 0.106 to 0.319 μg red.sug. ml
−1 h
−1), soil samples (0.158 and 0.176 μg red.sug. ml
−1 h
−1) and in situ, for a vertical profile (5–30 cm) of an oligotrophic bog (0.058-0.005 μg red.sug. ml
−1 h
−1), and in several watershed forest soils (from 0.158 to 0.206 μg red.sug. ml
−1 h
−1).