title: Cellulolytic environment in the midgut of the wood-feeding higher termite Nasutitermes takasagoensis.
abstract: Unlike lower termites, xylophagous higher termites thrive on wood without the aid of symbiotic protists. In the higher termite Nasutitermes takasagoensis, both endogenous endo-β-1,4-glucanase and β-glucosidase genes are expressed in the midgut, which is believed to be the main site of cellulose digestion. To further explore the detailed cellulolytic system in the midgut of N. takasagoensis, we performed immunohistochemistry and digital light microscopy to determine distributions of cellulolytic enzymes in the salivary glands and the midgut as well as the total cellulolytic activity in the midgut. Although cellulolytic enzymes were uniformly produced in the midgut epithelium, the concentration of endo-β-1,4-glucanase activity and luminal volume in the midgut were comparable to those of the wood-feeding lower termite Coptotermes formosanus, which digests cellulose with the aid of hindgut protists. However, the size of ingested wood particles was considerably larger in N. takasagoensis than that in C. formosanus. Nevertheless, it is possible that the cellulolytic system in the midgut of N. takasagoensis hydrolyzes highly crystalline cellulose to a certain extent. The glucose produced did not accumulate in the midgut lumen. Therefore, the present study suggests that the midgut of the higher termite provides the necessary conditions for cellulolysis.
authors.affiliation: Tropical Biosphere Research Center, COMB, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan. tokuda@comb.u-ryukyu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Gaku
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tokuda
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hojo
authors.forename: Ai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Makiya
authors.forename: Mio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyagi
authors.forename: Gaku
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Arakawa
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arioka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002480:Cellulase / Q000378:metabolism; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000201:enzymology*; D005947:Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D020049:Isoptera / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D002482:Cellulose; D002480:Cellulase; D005947:Glucose