[Lignocellulose degrading bacteria and their genes encoding cellulase/hemicellulase in rumen--a review]

Rumen of ruminant animals is known as a natural reactor involved in highly efficient lignocelluloses degradation. Rumen fibrolytic microbes have attracted an increasing attention for their potential value in biofuel research. Studies on rumen microbes have traditionally entailed the isolation of fibrolytic bacteria and subsequent analysis of fibrolytic enzymes. Developments in genomic and metagenomic approaches have made it possible to isolate directly genes and gene clusters encoding fibrolytic activities from rumen samples, permitting a global analysis of mechanisms of degradation of lignocellulose in rumen. Research in this field shows that lignocellulose degradation in rumen is a complex process involving a number of different microbes and is effected by a huge array of hydrolytic enzymes in a concerted fashion. This review briefly summarizes results from recent studies, especially metagenomic studies, on lignocellulose degradation in rumen.