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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1988 April; 54(4): 890-897
Copyright © 1988, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Inhibitory Effects of Methylcellulose on Cellulose Degradation by Ruminococcus flavefaciens

M. A. Rasmussen, R. B. Hespell^*, B. A. White and R. J. Bothast

¹ Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, and Northern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Peoria, Illinois 61604²

ABSTRACT

Highly methylated, long-chain celluloses strongly inhibited cellulose degradation by several species of cellulolytic bacteria of ruminal origin. Specifically, the inhibitory effects of methylcellulose on the growth of Ruminococcus flavefaciens FD1 were concentration dependent, with complete inhibition at 0.1% (wt/vol). However, methylcellulose did not inhibit growth on cellobiose or cellulooligosaccharides. Mixtures of methylated cellulooligosaccharides having an average degree of polymerization of 6.7 to 9.5 inhibited cellulose degradation, but those with an average degree of polymerization of 1.0 to 4.5 did not. Similar inhibitory effects by methylcellulose and, to a lesser extent, by methyl cellulooligosaccharides were observed on cellulase activity, as measured by hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl-ß-D-cellobioside. R. flavefaciens cultures hydrolyzed cellulooligosaccharides to cellobiose and cellotriose as final end products. Cellopentaose and cellohexaose were cleaved to these end products, but cellotetraose was also formed from cellohexaose. Methylcellulose did not inhibit hydrolysis of cellulooligosaccharides. These data are consistent with the presence of separate cellulase (ß-1,4-glucanase) and cellulodextrinase activities in R. flavefaciens.

^* Corresponding author.

Present address: Animal Nutritional Supplements, Eastman Chemicals, P.O. Box 1955, Kingsport, TN 37664.

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