RESTRICTION ENZYME AND DNA HYBRIDIZATION ANALYSIS OF CELLULOLYTIC STREPTOMYCES ISOLATES OF DIFFERENT ORIGIN

Streptomyces rochei A2 endoglucanase (eglS) and beta-glucosidase (bgsl ) genes were used as probes to survey their distribution among 16 Stre ptomyces strains isolated from different sources and characterized for their cellulolytic activities. The eglS probe hybridized to the genom ic DNA of 12 strains with a restriction pattern different from that of S. rochei A2. The DNA from all strains, except one, hybridized with t he bgsl probe and one strain showed the same restriction pattern as se en in S. rochei A2. The sequence localized by the eglS probe in S. the rmoviolaceus and the one localized by the bgsl probe in strain EC1 wer e cloned and expressed in E. coli in plasmids pTAE and pCSF203, respec tively. The restriction maps showed that the cloned genes were identic al to eglS and bgsl. The restriction enzyme analysis of genomic DNA fr om all the strains identified nine different groups, each characterize d by a distinctive pattern and in agreement with the results of the hy bridization experiments.