β-1,3-キシラナーゼ産生細菌の分離と同定

A screening was undertaken to acquire bacteria with a high rate of β-1, 3-xylanase productivity. Such a strain was obtained from the bottom mud of the coastal sea in Fukuoka Prefecture. The organism needed β-1, 3-xylan as an inducer to produce β-1, 3-xylanase, and released a large amount of the enzyme into the culture fluid, when incubated with shaking at 25°C for 4 to 6 days in the following liquid medium; 0.1% peptone, 0.1% yeast extract, 3% NaCl, 0.2% K2HPO4, 0.05% KH2PO4, 0.05% MgSO4•7H2O, and 0.3% β-1, 3-xylan, pH 7.8. The enzyme exhibited a high activity at a range of pH 6.0 to 7.5. The enzyme seems to be an endo-type β-1, 3-xylanase which acts on the substrate to give various sizes of oligosaccharides and may be an essential com-ponent for the preparation of protoplasts from some groups of seaweed. According to the criteria of the Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, Vol.1, the bacterium was assigned to the genus Vibrio. There was no listed species name for this organism.