Lignocellulose—the dry matter of plants, or “plant biomass”—digestion is of increasing
interest in organismal metabolism research, specifically the conversion of biomass into …

Previous dogma has maintained that cellulose, ingested by xylophagous or herbivorous
animals, is digested by cellulolytic symbiotes. The first evidence in conflict with this …

Symbiotic digestion of lignocellulose in wood-feeding higher termites (family Termitidae) is a
two-step process that involves endogenous host cellulases secreted in the midgut and a …

The distribution of endo-β-1, 4-glucanase (EG) components in the digestive system of the
wood-feeding termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, was investigated by zymogram …

Aims: To demonstrate the occurrence of cellulolytic bacteria in the termite Zootermopsis
angusticollis. Methods and Results: Applying aerobic cultivation conditions we isolated 119 …

Background Termite lignocellulose digestion is achieved through a collaboration of host
plus prokaryotic and eukaryotic symbionts. In the present work, we took a combined host …

Termite hindguts have long been considered simply to be anoxic fermentors, similar to the
rumen of cattle. This concept was challenged by recent investigations employing …

Long considered simply as anoxic fermentors, termite guts are in fact axially and radially
structured environments with physicochemically distinct microhabitats. Recent …

The intestinal flagellates of termites produce cellulases that contribute to cellulose digestion
of their host termites. However, 75% of all termite species do not harbour the cellulolytic …

Bioconversion of lignocellulose into renewable energy and commodity products faces a
major obstacle of inefficient saccharification due to its recalcitrant structure. In nature …