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Updated: Sep 20, 2026

Determination of Microbial Extracellular Enzyme Activity in Waters, Soils, and Sediments using High Throughput Microplate Assays
Published on: October 1, 2013
Multiple forms of microbial enzymes
Myriam Naessens1, Erick J Vandamme
1Department of Biochemical and Microbial Technology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Abstract:
Multiple forms of one enzyme occur in a wide variety of microorganisms. Their synthesis is often dependent on culture characteristics such as medium composition, physico-chemical parameters, culture age and the presence of inducing or inhibiting agents. Multiform enzymes increase the capability of the producing organism to adapt to and cope with a wide variety of environmental changes, such that the physiological advantages outweigh the apparent wasteful hyperproduction of multiple forms of one enzyme.
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