Hemicellulose-degrading Enzymes Synthesized by Rumen Bacteria |
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Authors: | A G WILLIAMS SUSAN E WITHERS |
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Institution: | Department of Nutrition and Metabolism, Hannah Research Institute, Ayr KA6 5HL, U.K. |
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Abstract: | Over 100 bacterial cultures isolated from ovine rumen contents by enrichment techniques in polysaccharide-containing media were examined for the ability to degrade plant cell wall structural polysaccharides. Approximately two-thirds of the isolates retained were Gram negative and amongst the coccoid isolates diplococci predominated. Many of the rods examined were piliated and/or flagellated. Thirty of the more active xylan- and arabinan-degrading isolates were examined for both the production and activity of the principal polysaccharidase and glycosidase enzymes associated with plant cell wall polysaccharide hydrolysis, following culture in a hemicellulose containing growth medium. The wide range of glycosidase activities detected in these hemicellulolytic isolates was evidence for their rôle in the breakdown of dietary polysaccharides in the rumen. |
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