Enzymes Involved in Sulfur Metabolism

Abstract

Sulfatases are important for the mineralization of sulfur-containing compounds in the soils. They hydrolyze organic sulfates, and thus provide plants with available sulfur (Freney et al. 1975). Sulfatases are predominantly of microbial origin. In the soil, they also occur as exoenzymes, and have a close relationship to organic matter. In nature, different types of sulfatases occur (Tabatabai 1982): arylsulfatases, alkylsulfatases, steroidsulfatases, glucosesulfatases, chondrosulfatases, myrosulfatases. Arylsulfatase was the first enzyme group to be discovered and has thus predominantly been investigated. It catalyzes the hydrolysis of an arylsulfate anion by splitting the O-S-bond. In soils, arylsulfatase was first determined by Tabatabai and Bremner (1970). Methodological and applied studies were performed by Speir and Ross (1975, 1978), Speir (1977), Al Khafaji and Tabatabai (1979), and Speir et al. (1980).