1. The supplementation of diets rich in soluble polysaccharides with microbial cellulases and hemicellulases decreases digesta viscosity and promotes broiler performance. 2. In contrast, recent experiments suggest that polysaccharidases are ineffective for improving the nutritive value of pasture biomass used by free-range broilers. However, the feasibility of using cellulases and hemicellulase...

Male sterility in a petunia cytoplasmic male sterile line has been attributed to the early appearance of active callase, a beta-1,3-glucanase, in the anther locule. This leads to premature dissolution of the callose walls surrounding the microsporogenous cells. We have mimicked this aspect of the petunia line in transgenic tobacco by engineering the secretion of a modified pathogenesis-related ...

We report the cloning and functional characterization of an endo-beta-1,3-glucanase from the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus acquired by horizontal gene transfer from bacteria. This is the first gene of this type from any nematode species. We show that a similar cDNA is also present in another closely related species B. mucronatus, but that similar sequences are not present in any ...

BACKGROUND Williopsis saturnus var. mrakii MUCL 41968 secretes a 85-kDa glycoprotein killer toxin (WmKT) that displays a cytocidal activity against a wide range of microorganisms, making WmKT a promising candidate for the development of new antimicrobial molecules. Although the killing mechanism of WmKT is still unknown, the toxin was recently proposed to bind to the surface of sensitive microo...