The Cellulolytic Activity of Thermophilic Fungi and Actinomycetes

SUMMARY

The thermophilic molds showed greater cellulolytic ability than did the thermophilic actinomycetes. Chaetomium thermophile var. coprophilc. C. thermophile var. dissitum, Himicola grisea var. thermoidea, H. insolens. Myriococcum albomyees, Sporotrichum thermophile, and Torula thermophila were able to degrade filter paper and utilize soluble carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). Malbranchea pulchella var. sulfurea, Stilbella thermimephila and Talaromyees thermophilus could not degrade filter paper, but their cell-free filtrates contained the Cx enzyme that could hydrolyze soluble carboxymethyl cellulose to reducing sugars. Humicola lanuginosa, H. stellata, Mucor mechei, M. pusillus and Thermoascus aurantiacus could not degrade filter paper nor hydrolyze CMC. Streptomyces thermovielaceus var. pingens was the only actinomycete to significantly degrade filter paper. Thermomonospora curvata caused a slight loss in weight. Cell-free filtrates from these two, plus filtrates from Pseudonocardia thermophila, Streptomyces rectus, and S. thermovulgaris were able to hydrolyze CMC. Micromonospora chalcea, Streptomyees violaceoruber. Thermoactinomyees glaucus, T. vulgaris and Thermomonospora viridis could not degrade filter paper or hydrolyze CMC. The Cx enzyme is an induced enzyme, since none of the microorganisms produced it in a medium lacking cellulose.