Cost-effective screening and isolation of xylano-cellulolytic positive microbes from termite gut and termitarium

Abstract

In this study, screening and isolation of xylanocellulolytic enzymes producing positive microbes from termitarium and termite gut microbiome were done using cost-effective agricultural wastes. The enrichment of xylano-cellulolytic microbes was done in three steps using wheat bran and waste paper. The qualitative screening of xylanase and cellulase producing micro-organisms was done on nutrient agar plates containing wheat bran and waste paper, respectively. Xylanase and cellulase positive colonies were analysed by observing the zone of substrate (wheat bran and waste paper) hydrolysis around the colonies. A total of 30 bacterial isolates were obtained from termite gut and termitarium, respectively. Xylan and cellulose degrading potential of the positive isolates was also quantitatively estimated using agro-wastes-based medium. All the bacterial isolates displayed cellulase and xylanase activities in the range of 0.45-6.80 and 51-380 IU/ml, respectively. This is the first report mentioning the isolation of xylano-cellulolytic microbes from termite gut and termitarium using very simple cost-effective methodology.

Addition of insoluble fiber to isolation media allows for increased metabolite diversity of lab-cultivable microbes derived from zebrafish gut samples

“…8,9 This catalyzed a variety of studies that altered media to increase bacterial production of pharmaceutically relevant molecular classes, escalate potential biodiesel sources, as well as encourage the growth of specific bacterial species from animal microbiomes. [10][11][12] This research solidified the foundation for what is now common practice to utilize several media when attempting to cultivate microbes from environmental samples ( Figure S1). Recent studies have revealed that utilizing different organic carbon substrates can alter bacterial metabolism, leading to the discovery of novel compounds and potential biofilm inhibitors.…”

Environmental Sustainability: A Review of Termite Mound Soil Material and Its Bacteria

“…As early as 1985, Jaishree and his co-researchers reported that the Cellulomonas species, a cellulose degrading bacteria, was isolated in a termite mound occupied by Odontotermes obesus in a semi-arid region [9]. In addition, genes from the bacteria responsible for xylan and cellulose hydrolysis have been identified in bacteria isolated from termite mound soil [50]. Termite mound soils are laden with bacteria phyla like Acidobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria [36].…”

“…Fermenting bacteria, which have the ability to convert complex lignocellulose polymers into monosaccharides using lignocellulolytic enzymes which are essential for several vital industrial processes, have been isolated from termite mound soils [16]. Varghese, Agrawal, Sharma, Mandhan, and Mahajan [50] reported that thirty bacterial isolates from termite mound soil showed xylanase and cellulase activities from 0.45 to 6.02 and 55 to 380 IU/mL, respectively. Simple sugar fermentation from the lignocellulose breakdown by these enzymes is a remarkable prospect in biofuel production [53].…”

“…Simple sugar fermentation from the lignocellulose breakdown by these enzymes is a remarkable prospect in biofuel production [53]. Thus, understanding the bacterial activities and environmental conditions controlling the transformation of massive quantities of carbon materials in termite mound soils could lead to new opportunities that can benefit the environment [30,50,54].…”

Bioprospecting Fungal Glycosyl Hydrolases: Multi-locus Phylogenetic Analysis and Enzyme Activity Profiling for Enhanced Biomass Valorization

“…Holocelluloses (cellulose and all of the hemicellulose) forms major fraction of lignocelluloses along with lignin which can be ideally hydrolyzed to monosaccharides for effective conversion to various value-added products. Traditional thermochemical methods utilized for degradation of lignocelluloses typically generate toxic by-products, therefore emphasis is laid on enzymatic sacchari cation considering the cost and yield in the biore neries (Varghese et al 2017;Sunkar et al 2020). Lignocellulosic biomass is naturally degraded by diverse glycosyl hydrolases (GHs) producing microorganisms that can be utilized for several industrial as well as biotechnological applications.…”