J. Kopecny et al., THE EFFECT OF RUMEN CHITINOLYTIC BACTERIA ON CELLULOLYTIC ANAEROBIC FUNGI, Letters in applied microbiology, 23(3), 1996, pp. 199-202
The polycentric anaerobic fungus Orpinomyces joyonii A4 was cultivated
on microcrystalline cellulose alone and in association with the rumen
chitinolytic bacterium Clostridium sp, strain GhK5, which shows stron
g phenotypic similarity to Clostridium tertium. The presence of strain
ChK5 significantly depressed the solubilization of microcrystalline c
ellulose, the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and the rel
ease of endoglucanase by the fungus, Go-culture of the monocentric ana
erobic fungus Neocallimastix frontalis strain REI, Neocallimastix sp,
strain G-1 and Caecomyces sp, strain SC2 with strain ChK5 also resulte
d in depressed fungal cellulolysis, Cell-free supernatant fluids from
strain ChK5 inhibited the release of reducing sugars from carboxymethy
lcellulose by cell-free supernatant fluids from O. joyonii strain A4,
Strain 007 of the cellulolytic anaerobe Ruminococcus flavefaciens was
also shown to produce small amounts of soluble products upon incubatio
n with colloidal chitin. Mixtures of culture supernates from this bact
erium and from O. joyonii strain A4 showed cellulase activity that was
less than that of the component cultures, It is suggested that the ab
ility of some rumen bacteria to hydrolyse or transform chitin may be a
n important factor in the interactions between bacteria and fungi in t
he rumen.