Biochemical Studies of an Endoglucanase from Marine Rotifer, Brachionus plicatilis

Cellulase was purified from marine rotifer, Brachionus plicatilis, to homogeneity by using chromatographic methods. Purified enzyme is an endo-${\beta}$-1,4 glucanase and shows a strong hydrolytic activity against carboxymethyl (CM) -cellulose. The physicochemical parameters of enzyme activity were determined. The molecular weight of the purified protein was approximately 62 kDa as determined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzymatic capability to digest cellulose of Chlorella cell wall was compared with that of other well known cellulases from Thermomonospora fusca. Experiments involving Chlorella digestion indicated that CM-cellulase from marine rotifer, Brachionus plicatilis, could digest Chlorella very efficiently while cellulase purified from Thermomonospora fusca did not. From the result here, we propose that the cellulolytic system from marine rotifer is responsible for the hydrolysis of cellulosic wall of Chlorella, probing that rotifer digests Chlorella as a major live food.