Some potential inaccuracies of the p -nitrophenyl phosphomonoesterase assay in the study of the phosphorus nutrition of soil borne fungi

Tibbett, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0143-2190, Sanders, F. E., Grantham, K. and Cairney, J. W. G. (2000) Some potential inaccuracies of the p -nitrophenyl phosphomonoesterase assay in the study of the phosphorus nutrition of soil borne fungi. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 31 (1). pp. 92-96. ISSN 0178-2762 doi: 10.1007/s003740050629

Abstract/Summary

The p-nitrophenol phosphomonoesterase assay (pNPPase) is commonly used to measure cell-wall-associated and extracellular phosphatase activity of soil fungi. pNPPases are usually assayed in the context of fungal nutrition, where inorganic P supply might be enhanced by the mineralisation of organic P sources in the soil. We report here on a series of experiments with the ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete Hebeloma cylindrosporum that highlight components of accepted methodology that might impinge on the reliability of the assay. These include the loss of pNPPase after filtration, inaccuracies in measuring wall-associated enzyme and the ample pool of intracellular pNPPase can be mistakenly measured as external pNPPase if cells are accidentally damaged.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/45429
Item Type	Article
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Agriculture, Policy and Development > Department of Sustainable Land Management > Centre for Agri-environmental Research (CAER)
Publisher	Springer-Verlag
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