Cellulase genes from Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky)

Termites are widely recognized for the distinctive ability to digest cellulose. The family Termitidae consists of termites with different feeding guilds. They depend on cellulases produced by the termite itself and the endosymbiotic bacteria within their hindgut to utilize cellulose. Here, we report partial cellulase gene sequences from a higher termite, Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky). A phylogenetic analysis was then carried out on the nucleotide sequences obtained from these genes.