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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1980 September; 40(3): 549-561

Effects of Alkaline Phosphatase Activity on Nucleotide Measurements in Aquatic Microbial Communities {dagger}

D. M. Karl and D. B. Craven

Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822

ABSTRACT

Alkaline phosphatase (APase) activity was detected in aquatic microbial assemblages from the subtropics to Antarctica. The occurrence of APase in environmental nucleotide extracts was shown to significantly affect the measured concentrations of cellular nucleotides (adenosine triphosphate, adenosine diphosphate, adenosine monophosphate, guanosine triphosphate, uridine triphosphate, and cytidine triphosphate), adenylate energy charge, and guanosine triphosphate/adenosine triphosphate ratios, when conventional methods of nucleotide extraction were employed. Under the reaction conditions specified in this report, the initial rate of hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate was directly proportional to the activity of APase in the sample extracts and consequently can be used as a sensitive measure of APase activity. A method was devised for obtaining reliable nucleotide measurements in naturally occurring microbial populations containing elevated levels of APase activity. The metabolic significance of APase activity in microbial cells is discussed, and it is concluded that the occurrence and regulation of APase in nature is dependent upon microscale inorganic phosphate limitation of the autochthonous microbial communities.

FOOTNOTES

{dagger} University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program Journal Contribution no. UNIHI-Sea Grant-JC-81-01.

Appl Environ Microbiol. 1980 September; 40(3): 549-561






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