Screening of prokaryotes for cellulose- and hemicellulose-degrading enzymes

Publisher Summary Various methods have been developed for the detection of microbial hydrolysis of lignocellulose. The screening for such activities is complicated by the fact that the biodegradation of each of the main components of this substrate—that is, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, requires the action of two or more enzymes that is generally coordinated by a delicate mechanism of induction and repression by both the substrate and the hydrolysis products. Screening methods have been developed for many of the enzyme activities either individually or for the overall action of a group of enzymes. This chapter describes several methods that have been successfully applied in the screening of cellulolytic or xylanolytic prokaryotes and mutants. They are derived from procedures used in the detection of cellulases or xylanases produced by different microorganisms, both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, aerobes as well as anaerobes. Although adapted mainly for screening of actinomycetes, the methods outlined in this chapter is applicable, with only minor adjustments to other microorganisms and their enzymes mainly for their specific growth requirements.