The Mechanisms and Time Factor of the Enzyme Structure of a Paleosoil

Abstract

The data on the enzyme activity of paleosoils of archaeological sites are given. It is shown that the activity of phosphatases and urease in soils of ancient settlements is significantly higher than in modern soils: 1.5–2.0 times for urease and 7–15 times for phosphatase in some cultural layers of the Bronze Age. This is related to a large amount of organic material (garbage, rubbish, excrement, and urea), which entered the soil in ancient times and stimulated soil microorganisms to produce a greater amount of enzymes, whose high activity has been preserved for 4000 years. The location of the enzymes was determined by soil fumigation using chloroform and activation of extracellular enzymes by glycine. The release of intracellular enzymes as a result of fumigation caused a significant increase in phosphatase activity in modern soils and soils of ancient settlements in contrast to the virgin paleosoil of the Bronze Age. The treatment by glycine exerted a smaller effect on the activity of phosphatases, but caused a significant increase in urease activity. This may indicate the predominating extracellular localization of urease in paleosoils of ancient settlements, while phosphatase is characterized by both extra- and intracellular localization.