A rapid direct assay for the determination of the separate activities of the three arylsulphatases of Aspergillus oryzae.

1. The three arylsulphatases of Aspergillus oryzae exhibit pronounced kinetic differences and substrate specificities. Arylsulphatase I hydrolyses all substrates tested, whereas arylsulphatase III will not hydrolyse tyrosine O-sulphate or phenolphthalein disulphate. Arylsulphatase II does not hydrolyse p-nitrophenyl sulphate or phenolphthalein disulphate at appreciable rates in the absence of added phenolic compounds. Phenols such as tyramine increase the rate of hydrolysis of these substances by this enzyme 1000-fold. At pH 6.9 arylsulphatase I exhibits an apparent Km of 0.1 mM for p-nitrophenyl sulphate, whereas the Km of arylsulphatase III for this substrate is 1 mM. 2. These differences were utilized to develop an assay procedure which can be used to determine the separate activities of the three enzymes present in mixtures. This assay has potential use as a means of examining the relative activities of the three enzymes in investigations of the differences in the mechanisms regulating their synthesis.