STUDIES ON THE DEGRADATION OF CELLULOSE BY SPOROCYTOPHAGA MYXOCOCCOIDES

Abstract

Culture fluids of Sporocytophaga myxococcoides contain extracellular enzyme activ+ ties capable of hydrolysing cellulose, carboxymethylcellulose and cellobiose. The yield of enzyme activities varies with the nature of the organism's carbon source and glucose is apparently an inducer. There is no detectable glucanase capable of hydrolysing -nitropheny] glucoside in these preparations. Supernatants of cellulose grown cells do not contain any detectable glucose or cellobiose. Such supernatants contain, in addition to cellulose, an unidentified reducing compound and no other detectable non-ionic carbon compounds. The reducing compound functions as a linking metabolite in the growth of a non-cellulolytic Alcaligenes sp. that is capable of growth in mixed culture with S. myxococcoides using cellulose as sole source of carbon and energy.