Mining Dictyoglomus turgidum for Enzymatically Active Carbohydrases

The genome of Dictyoglomus turgidum was sequenced and analyzed for carbohydrases. The broad range of carbohydrate substrate utilization is reflected in the high number of glycosyl hydrolases, 54, and the high percentage of CAZymes present in the genome, 3.09% of its total genes. Screening a random clone library generated from D. turgidum resulted in the discovery of five novel biomass-degrading enzymes with low homology to known molecules. Whole genome sequencing of the organism followed by bioinformatics-directed amplification of selected genes resulted in the recovery of seven additional novel enzyme molecules. Based on the analysis of the genome, D. turgidum does not appear to degrade cellulose using either conventional soluble enzymes or a cellulosomal degradation system. The types and quantities of glycosyl hydrolases and carbohydrate-binding modules present in the genome suggest that D. turgidum degrades cellulose via a mechanism similar to that used by Cytophaga hutchinsonii and Fibrobacter succinogenes.