ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF NATIVE CELLULOSE-DEGRADING BACTERIA FROM SOIL

The present study shows isolation and identification of thermophilic (60°C) and mesophilic (37°C) bacteria degrading the cellulose from the soil. after the growth environments enrichment with microcrystalline of cellulose as the sole source of carbon, Thermophilic and Mesophilic bacteria were isolated and purified by serial dilution method.Screening of purified bacteria was done to identify cellulase-producing bacteria by zymogram on plate method. Among the cellulolytic strains, 12 thermophilic and 12 mesophilic strains were selected and these bacteria were compared with each other based on cellulase activity, growth and extracellular protein amounts. Identifying the strains with highest enzyme activity based on gene sequences 16S rDNA suggested that these strains belong to genera Bacillus، Geobacillus و Chryseobacterium. the preferred thermophilic and mesophilic genera were assessed to identify the best temperature and pH inwhich the thermophilic and mesophilic genera showed the best function in temperature 50°C and pH 6.5 and temperature 37°C and pH 8.5 respectively. These bacteria have necessitated potential for biological conversion of urban and agricultural cellulolytic wastes to valuable materials.