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Molecular Environmental Soil Science pp 27–47Cite as

Microbial Extracellular Enzymes and the Degradation of Natural and Synthetic Polymers in Soil

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Part of the book series: Progress in Soil Science ((PROSOIL))

Abstract

Bacteria and fungi encounter a large number of complex organic materials in soil, many of which represent a source of the energy, carbon and the nutrients that are required for cell maintenance and growth. Cellulose and lignin are the two most abundant plant polymers but contaminated soils may also contain recalcitrant xenobiotics including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls. However, all of these natural and anthropogenic structures are only potential substrates because bacteria and fungi cannot absorb insoluble macromolecules. Instead, they depend on the activities of extracellular enzymes to generate the soluble low molecular mass structures that are recognized by cell membrane receptors and transported into the cell. Some of the organic pollutants in soil are not only polymeric and poorly soluble but are also toxic and may require transformation prior to uptake. In this chapter the diversity of extracellular enzymes and some of the polymers that they degrade are reviewed as are the many locations and multiple fates of these enzymes once they have left the cytoplasm. We summarise the diversity of soil enzymes and describe some of the natural and synthetic macromolecules that they degrade. Aspects of the regulation of extracellular enzyme synthesis and secretion and the many locations and multiple fates of microbial enzymes after they are externalized will be outlined. The chemical, physical and biological properties of soil all affect enzyme diffusion, survival and substrate turnover, as well as the proportion of the product that is available to and assimilated by the producer cells. The ways in which microbes and their extracellular enzymes attempt to overcome the generally destructive, inhibitory and competitive properties of the soil matrix and the various strategies they adopt for effective substrate detection and utilization will be described.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Richard G. Burns

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  1. Richard G. Burns
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Correspondence to Richard G. Burns .

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  1. Institute of Soil and Water Resources, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, People's Republic

    Jianming Xu

  2. Delaware Environmental Institute, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA

    Donald L. Sparks

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Burns, R.G. (2013). Microbial Extracellular Enzymes and the Degradation of Natural and Synthetic Polymers in Soil. In: Xu, J., Sparks, D. (eds) Molecular Environmental Soil Science. Progress in Soil Science. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4177-5_2

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