Identification and determination of cellulase activity of cellulose degrading microorganisms from earthworm species of different habitats of North East India

Abstract

A total of 327 microbial strains isolated from the earthworm guts (EWGs) of five different species were comprised of 93 aerobic bacteria (AB), 78 facultative anaerobic bacteria (FAB), 72 actinobacteria and 84 fungi. Cellulolytic activity was determined both by qualitative and quantitative methods. Sixteen AB, 19 FAB, 26 actinobacteria and 23 fungi showed hydrolyzing zones on carboxymethyl cellulose medium and varied cellulase activity in the range of 0.0031 to 0.0263, 0.0022 to 0.013, 0.0022 to 0.0154 and 0.005 to 0.036 IU/ml, respectively. Cellulolytic bacterial and fungal isolates were identified based on 16S rDNA and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region, respectively. Nine cellulolytic bacterial (<em>Bacillus</em>, <em>Paenibacillus</em>, <em>Isoptericola</em>, <em>Cellulomonas, Clostridium</em>, <em>Enterobacter</em><em>, </em><em>Nocardia</em><em>, </em><em>Micromonospora </em>and <em>Streptomyces</em>) and ten fungal genera (<em>Aspergillus</em>, <em>Chaetomium</em>, <em>Acremonium</em>, <em>Fusarium</em>,<em> Penicillium</em>, <em>Purpureocillium</em>, <em>Epicoccum</em>, <em>Trichoderma</em>, <em>Talaromyces </em>and <em>Ascobolus</em>) were recorded in the EWGs. Cellulolytic microorganisms of EWGs exhibit taxonomic diversity and varying cellulase activity depending upon EW habitats. This is the first report on the cellulolytic bacterial and fungal diversity from the EWG of Imphal, Manipur, North East, India.