This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Wiegel, J. Articles by Puls, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Wiegel, J. Articles by Puls, J. Agricola Articles by Wiegel, J. Articles by Puls, J.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl Environ Microbiol. 1985 March; 49(3): 656-659
Copyright © 1985, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Differences in Xylan Degradation by Various Noncellulolytic Thermophilic Anaerobes and Clostridium thermocellum

Jürgen Wiegel^1,*, Cheryle P. Mothershed¹ and Jürgen Puls²

¹ Department of Microbiology and Center for Biological Resource Recovery, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602
² Institute of Wood Chemistry and Chemical Technology of Wood, BFA-Hamburg, D-2050 Hamburg 80, Federal Republic of Germany

ABSTRACT

Hemicellulose fractions with a predetermined distribution of xylose, xylooligomers, and xylan fractions were obtained through steam explosion of wood by the steam explosion-extraction process of BFA-Hamburg, Hamburg, Federal Republic of Germany. A differential utilization of various molecular-weight fractions by several thermophilic anaerobic bacteria was determined during their growth on the hemicellulose preparations. Clostridium thermocellum (60°C) first utilized the high-molecular-weight fractions (polymerization degree of 15 to 40 xylose units). Xylose and xylooligomers of n = 2 to 5 accumulated while C. thermocellum was not growing, as evident from the fermentation products formed. Whereas the xylan was hydrolyzed and the small oligoxylans were utilized after more than 100 h of incubation, xylose was not significantly utilized. In contrast to this, C. thermohydrosulfuricum (70°C) and Thermoanaerobium brockii (70°C) utilized xylose first and then xylooligomers of n = 2 to 5, but xylooligomers of n greater than 6 were only slowly utilized. Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus (70°C), Thermobacteroides acetoethylicus (70°C), and C. thermosaccharolyticum (60°C) utilized xylose preferentially. Xylooligomers of n = 2 to 5 and n = 6 and greater were apparently concomitantly utilized without significant differences. In contrast to C. thermocellum, the non-cellulolytic organisms grew during xylan hydrolysis, producing ethanol, lactate, acetate, CO₂, and H₂.

---

FOOTNOTES

^* Corresponding author.

---

Appl Environ Microbiol. 1985 March; 49(3): 656-659
Copyright © 1985, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Yang, S.-J., Kataeva, I., Hamilton-Brehm, S. D., Engle, N. L., Tschaplinski, T. J., Doeppke, C., Davis, M., Westpheling, J., Adams, M. W. W. (2009). Efficient Degradation of Lignocellulosic Plant Biomass, without Pretreatment, by the Thermophilic Anaerobe "Anaerocellum thermophilum" DSM 6725. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 4762-4769 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Halstead, J. R., Vercoe, P. E., Gilbert, H. J., Davidson, K., Hazlewood, G. P. (1999). A family 26 mannanase produced by Clostridium thermocellum as a component of the cellulosome contains a domain which is conserved in mannanases from anaerobic fungi. Microbiology 145: 3101-3108 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Shulami, S., Gat, O., Sonenshein, A. L., Shoham, Y. (1999). The Glucuronic Acid Utilization Gene Cluster from Bacillus stearothermophilus T-6. J. Bacteriol. 181: 3695-3704 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Erbeznik, M., Dawson, K. A., Strobel, H. J. (1998). Cloning and Characterization of Transcription of the xylAB Operon in Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus. J. Bacteriol. 180: 1103-1109 [Abstract] [Full Text]