Full Length Research Paper

Isolation of cellulolytic activities from Tribolium castaneum (red flour beetle)

Fayyaz Ur Rehman¹*, Mehwish Aslam¹, M. Ilyas Tariq¹, Ashraf Shaheen¹, Amtul Jamil Sami², Naima Huma Naveed³ and Aima Iram Batool³

¹Department of Chemistry, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan.

²Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.

³Department of Biological Sciences, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: fayyaz9@gmail.com.

Accepted 26 May, 2009

   Abstract

Cellulolytic enzymes have immense potential to convert cellulosic biomass into useful products. Tribolium castaneum crude proteins were isolated to screen the cellulolytic activities. The activity was established by substrate-agar plate assay and confirmed by endoglucanase assay. Cellulolytic activity was further purified and characterized using the different chromatographic techniques and electrophoresis. Gel filtration chromatography showed the presence of multiple forms of enzyme activities with different molecular weights. Stability of enzyme activity was investigated at different temperatures and pH. Optimum pH for was found 4.8 at 40^oC determined as optimum temperature. Gradually decreasing Enzyme activity remained half at 60^oC. Zymography and SDS-PAGE showed the presence of multiple forms of endoglucanase activities (Cel I and Cel II) with molecular weight of 55 kDa and 35 kDa.

Key words: Tribolium castaneum, cellulolytic enzymes, endoglucanase, insect cellulase, red flour beetle.