African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 6 (1), pp. 028-033, 4 January 2007   

ISSN 1684–5315 © 2007 Academic Journals        

Full Length Research Paper

Preliminary studies of cellulase production by Acinetobacter anitratus and Branhamella sp.

M. M. Ekperigin

Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Technology, P.M.B 704, Akure, Nigeria. E-mail: mmekperigin@yahoo.com.

Accepted 13 June, 2006

Two Bacteria species, Acinetobacter anitratus and Branhamella sp., were isolated from the haemolymph of the giant African snail, Archachatina marginata. The endocellulase activity of the culture broth was determined during bacterial growth by measuring the release of reducing sugar from carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). The peak of enzyme production occurred at the late logarithm phase for each bacterial species. The kinetics of CMC and celloboise hydrolysis was found to be the Michaelis-Menten type. The K_M values of CMC substrate were found to be 4.97 and 7.90 mg/ml for A. anitratus and Branhamella sp., respectively. The K_M values for cellobiose as substrate were 0.32 and 2.50 mM for A. anitratus and Branhamella sp., respectively. A multiplicity of cellulase complexes in the haemolymph of A. marginata is indicated.

Key words: Bacterial cellulase, Acinetobacter anitratus, Branhamella sp., Archachatina marginata.