Cellulase activities of some aerobic micro-organisms isolated from soil

1 Agricultural Research Council Letcombe Laboratory, Wantage, Oxon OX12 9JT, U.K. 2 Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, U.K. ABSTRACT Cellulose extracted from wheat straw, Avicel and CF11 cellulose powder contained 90% (w/w) glucose, whereas filter paper and carboxymethylcellulose contained 18% and 28% (w/w) hemicelluloses, respectively. The straw cellulose was used as the sole carbon source to enrich for a mixed culture of micro-organisms in a stirred liquid medium and on a perfusion column containing glass beads. Amongst the micro-organisms isolated only fungi had cellulase activity and this activity was greatest in cultures of Cladosporium cladosporoides. The remainder of the community consisted of non-cellulolytic secondary organisms. The interactions of cellulolytic fungi with other micro-organisms found in the enrichment mixed culture are discussed.