Eleven bacterial and two yeast strains, four of which were previously identified as having activity on a lightly cross-linked carboxymethyl cellulose (CLD-2) found in one type of superabsorbent tampon, were grown on a variety of substrates, most containing cellulosics. None produced detectable amounts of cellulases, but all elaborated beta-glucosidase. None of these 13 strains nor 3 commerciall...

There are two distinct components of the system which limits the rate at which intact cells of S. cerevisiae C hydrolyze external beta-glucosides; one component requires metabolic energy and the other is stereospecific for beta-glucosides. The stereospecific component is localized at the cell membrane, as shown by its sensitivity to heavy metal inhibitors which did not penetrate the cell under ...

Response surface methodology was used to evaluate optimal time, temperature and oxalic acid concentration for simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of corncob particles by Pichia stipitis CBS 6054. Fifteen different conditions for pretreatment were examined in a 2(3) full factorial design with six axial points. Temperatures ranged from 132 to 180 degrees C, time from 10 to 90 min...

Beta-glucosidase is among the suite of enzymes produced by white rot fungi (WRF) to biodegrade plant biomass. This study investigated the enzymatic activities and kinetic properties of β-glucosidase from seventeen WRF comprised of the following species from various geographical locations: Pleurotus ostreatus, Auricularia auricular, Polyporus squamosus, Trametes versicolor, Lentinula edodes, and...

We performed a biochemical study on the patient with mucolipidosis III (ML-III, pseudo-Hurler polydystrophy) in Korea. Confluent fibroblasts from the patient and from normal controls were cultured for 4, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hr, respectively. Lysosomal enzyme activities in culture media after different incubation times and in plasma, leuko-cytes, and fibroblasts were determined. Most of the leuko...

1. A crude cellulase extract was prepared from the hepatopancreas of a marine mollusc, Dolabella sp., and partially purified by ammonium sulphate fractionation. 2. The optimum pH values of the partially purified preparation were 6.5 and 8.0 for Walseth cellulose and CM-cellulose respectively. It was most stable at pH6.0 and showed moderate thermostability. 3. The partially purified preparation ...

Normal human skin fibroblasts were grown in the presence of N-hexyl-O-glucosyl sphingosine (HGS), an inhibitor of aryl glucosidase and glucocerebrosidase. Tests of the cells with aryl glycosides showed that beta-glucosidase activity in the cells was drastically reduced while other enzyme activities (alpha-glucosidase, beta-galactosidase, and N-acetyl-beta-hexosaminidase) were normal or elevated...

Sewage sludge is widely used as an organic soil amendment to improve soil fertility. We investigated the effects of sewage sludge (SS) application on certain biological parameters of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. The plant was either uninoculated or inoculated with saprobe fungi (Coriolopsis rigida and Trichoderma harzianum) or arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi (Glomus deserticola and Gigaspora r...

Favism is a severe, acute haemolytic anaemia which occurs in about 20% of G6PD deficient subjects after ingestion of fava beans. Since not all G6PD deficient subjects are sensitive to fava beans, the possibility has been suggested that extra erythrocytic factors may play an important role in the susceptibility to haemolytic favism. To test the hypothesis that an autosomal enzyme is involved in ...

A novel beta-proteobacterium, designated BXN5-27(T), was isolated from soil of a ginseng field of Baekdu Mountain in China, and was characterized using a polyphasic approach. The strain was Gram-staining-negative, aerobic, motile, non-spore-forming, and rod shaped. Strain BXN5-27(T) exhibited beta-glucosidase activity that was responsible for its ability to transform ginsenoside Rb₁ (one of the...