Evaluation of β-1,4-endoglucanases produced by bacilli isolated from paper and pulp mill effluents irrigated soil.

A total of 10 cellulase-producing bacteria were isolated from soil samples irrigated with paper and pulp mill effluents. The sequencing of 16S rRNA gene revealed that all isolates belonged to different species of genus Bacillus. Among the different isolates, B. subtilis IARI-SP-1 exhibited a high degree of β-1,4-endoglucanase (2.5 IU/ml), β-1,4-exoglucanase (0.8 IU/ml), and β-glucosidase (0.084 IU/ml) activity, followed by B. amyloliquefaciens IARI-SP-2. CMC was found to be the best carbon source for production of endo/exoglucanase and β-glucosidase. The β-1,4-endoglucanase gene was amplified from all isolates and their deduced amino acid sequences belonged to glycosyl hydrolase family 5. Among the domains of different isolates, the catalytic domains exhibited the highest homology of 93.7%, whereas the regions of signal, leader, linker, and carbohydrate-binding domain indicated low homology (73-74%). These variations in sequence homology are significant and could contribute to the structure and function of the enzyme.