Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences1028-88801812-5735Asian Network for Scientific Information10.3923/pjbs.2014.956.963WongL.J. H`ngP.S. WongS.Y. LeeS.H. LumW.C. ChaiE.W. WongW.Z. ChinK.L. 82014178Termites thrive in great abundance in terrestrial ecosystems
and the symbiotic gut microbiota play important roles in digestion of lignocelluloses
and nitrogen metabolism. Termites are excellent models of biocatalysts as they
inhabit dense microbes in their guts that produce digestive enzymes to decompose
lignocelluloses and convert it to end products such as sugars, hydrogen, and
acetate. Different of digestive system between lower and higher termites which
lower termites dependent on their dual decomposing system, consisting of termites
own cellulases and guts protists.
Higher termites decompose cellulose using their own enzymes, because of the
absence of symbiotic priotists. Termite gut prokaryotes efficiently support
lignocelluloses degradation. In this review, a brief overview of recent experimental
works, development and commercialization is discussed. Significant progress
has been made to isolate cellulolytic strains from termites and optimise the
digestion efficiency of cellulose. Future perspective should emphasize the isolation
of cellulolytic strains from termites, genetically modifying or immobilization
of the microbes which produce the desired enzyme and thus benefits on the microbiology
and biotechnology.]]>Abensperg-Traun, M. and A.V. Milewski,199520413417Andersen, A. and P. Jacklyn,1993Pages: 31Pages: 31Bandeira, A.G. and M.F.P. Torres,198521338Benemann, J.R.,1973181164165Breznak, J.A., W.J. Brill, J.W. Mertins and H.C. Coppel,1973244577580Breznak, J.A.,19841984pp: 173-204pp: 173-204Breznak, J.A. and A. Brune,199439453487Breznak, J.A.,20002000pp: 209-231pp: 209-231Breznak, J.A.,200242313318Brune, A.,1998161621Brune, A. and M. Ohkuma,20112011pp: 439-477pp: 439-477Brune, A.,20092009pp: 978-983pp: 978-983Chai, E.W., P.S. H'ng, S.H. Peng, W.M. Wan-Azha, K.L. Chin, M.J. Chow and W.Z. Wong,20133428592866Chin, K.L., P.S. H'ng, L.J. Wong, B.T. Tey and M.T. Paridah,2010Saccharomyces cerevisiae.]]>10132873291Chin, K.L., P.S. H'ng, L.J. Wong, B.T. Tey and M.T. Paridah,20118842224228Chin, K.L. and P.S. H'ng,20132013pp: 329-346pp: 329-346Eggleton, P., D.E. Bignell, W.A. Sands, N.A. Mawdsley, J.H. Lawton, T.G. Wood and N.C. Bignell,19963515168Quarcoo, F.Y.,2009Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae).]]>2009French, J.R., G.L. Tuner and J.F. Bradbury,197695202206H'ng, P.S. and K.L. Chin,2008Coptertermes curvignathus) under laboratory condition.]]>71131137H'ng, P.S., L.J. Wong, K.L. Chin, E.S. Tor, S.E. Tan, B.T. Tey and M. Maminski,2011Elaeis guineensis) trunk as a resource of starch and other sugars.]]>1130533057H'ng, P.S., S.H. Lee and W.C. Lum,20125299306Higashi, M. and T. Abe,19971997pp: 83-112pp: 83-112James, L.N.,20082008pp: 111-118pp: 111-118Kane, M.D. and J.A. Breznak,1991Acetonema Longum gen.nov.sp.nov. an H2/CO2 acetogenic bacterium from the termite, Pterotermes occidentis.]]>1569198Kim, S. and B.E. Dale,200426361375Konig, H., J. Frohlich, M. Berchtold and M. Wenzel,20026125156Kricher, J.C.,2011pp: 359-390pp: 359-390Kudo, T., M. Ohkuma, S. Moriya, S. Noda and K. Ohtoko,19982155161Lee, K.E. and T.G. Wood,1971Pages: 251Pages: 251Lee, S.H., P.S. H'ng, T.L. Peng and W.C. Lum,2013Coptotermes curvignathus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) to formaldehyde catcher-treated particleboard.]]>1614151418Li, L., J. Frohlich and H. Konig,20062006pp: 221-241pp: 221-241Li, H.J., J. Lu and J. Mo,2012Coptotermes formosanus shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotemitidae) and its potential uses in the production of biofuels.]]>7675685Lovelock, M., R.W. O'Brien and M. Slaytor,198515503509Machida, M., O. Kitade, T. Miura and T. Matsumoto,2001Hodotermopsis japonica (Isoptera, Termopsidae).]]>485256Martin, M.M.,1987Pages: 148Pages: 148Martin, M.M.,1991333281288Martin, M.M.,199232593605McMillan, J.D.,19941994pp: 292-324pp: 292-324Nadin, E.,200722431O'Brien, G.W., P.C. Veivers, S.E. McEwen, M. Slaytor and R.W. O'Brien,1979Nasutitermes exitiosus and Coptotermes lacteus.]]>9619625Odelson, D.A. and J.A. Breznak,1985Trichomitopsis Termopsidis, a cellulolytic protozoan from termites.]]>49614621Ohkuma, M.,20036119Paster, B.J., F.E. Dewhirst, S.M. Cooke, V. Fussing, L.K. Poulsen and J.A. Breznak,199662347352Pearce, M.J.,1997Pages: 172Pages: 172Peng, S.H., W.M. Wan-Azha, W.Z. Wong, W.Z. Go, E.W. Chai, K.L. Chin and P.S. H'ng,201313508512Potrikus, C.J. and J.A. Breznak,1977Enterobacter agglomerans isolated from guts of wood-eating termites.]]>33392399Prestwich, G.D. and B.L. Bentley,1981Nasutitermes corniger.]]>49249251Purwadaria, T., P.P. Ketaren, A.P. Sinurat and I. Sutikno,2003Glyptotermes montanus) for poultry feed application. ]]>44047Radek, R.,19995183196Sanderson, M.G.,199610543557Sapunov, V.B.,20082008pp: 389-393pp: 389-393Schwarz, W.H.,200156634649Scharf, M.E. and A. Tartar,20082540552Scharf, M.E. and D.G. Boucias,201017166174Slaytor, M.,1992103775784Sugimoto, A., D. Bignell and J.A. Macdonald,20002000pp: 409-437pp: 409-437Sun, Y. and J. Cheng,200283111Sun, J.Z.,20082008pp: 50-54pp: 50-54Tartar, A., M.M. Wheeler, X. Zhou, M.R. Coy, D.G. Boucias and M.E. Scharf,2009Reticulitermes flavipes.]]>2009Tay, P.W., P.S. H'ng, K.L. Chin, L.J. Wong and A.C. Luqman,201344240245Tayasu, I., A. Sugimoto, E. Wada and T. Abe,199481229231Tho, Y.P.,1992pp: 22pp: 22Tholen, A., B. Schink and A. Brune,1997Reticulitermes flavipes, its relation to oxygen and evidence for oxygen-dependent acetogenesis by the most abundant Enterococcus sp.]]>24137149Tokuda, G., N. Lo, H. Watanabe, M. Slaytor, T. Matsumoto and H. Noda,19991447146159Tokuda, G., H. Saito and H. Watanabe,2002Neotermes koshunensis (Shiraki): Distribution, characterization and isolation of its precursor cDNA by 5'-and 3'-RACE amplifications with degenerate primers.]]>3216811689Tokuda, G., N. Lo, H. Watanabe, G. Arakawa, T. Matsumoto and H. Noda,20041332193228Varma, A., B. Krishna Kolli, J. Paul, S. Saxena and H. Konig,199415928Warnecke, F., P. Luginbuhl, N. Ivanova, M. Ghassemian and T.H. Richardson et al.,2007450560565Watanabe, H., H. Noda, G. Tokuda and N. Lo,1998394330331Wenzel, M., I. Schonig, M. Berchtold, P. Kampfer and H. Konig,2002Zootermopsis angusticollis.]]>923240Wilson, E.O.,1971pp: 562pp: 562Wood, T.G. and R.A. Johnson,19861986pp: 1-68pp: 1-68Wood, T.G. and R.J. Thomas,19891989pp: 69-92pp: 69-92Yeoh, B.H. and C.Y. Lee,2007Coptotermes gestroi, Coptotermes curvignathus and Coptotermes kalshoveni (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in the laboratory.]]>5010871096Zheng, Y., Z. Pan and R. Zhang,200925168Konig, H., J. Frochlich and H. Hertel,20062006pp: 271-301pp: 271-301