Manipulation of the repertoire of digestive enzymes secreted into the gastrointestinal tract of transgenic mice

Abstract

In non-ruminant livestock the energy which can be derived from dietary cellulose and xylan is limited by the inefficient microbial fermentation of these polymers in the hind-gut. Furthermore, in poultry, cereal-derived plant structural polysaccharides impair normal digestive function through the formation of gel-like structures, which trap nutrients rendering them unavailable to the animal. The nutrition of non-ruminant livestock could be significantly improved by the depolymerization of plant structural polysaccharides, through the introduction of cellulase activity into the small intestines of these animals. Here we describe the expression of Clostridium thermocellum endoglucanase E in the exocrine pancreas of transgenic mice. A non-glycosylated active enzyme is secreted into the small intestines, and is resistant to proteolytic inactivation, demonstrating the feasibility of generating non-ruminant animals with the endogenous capacity to depolymerize plant structural polysaccharides in the small intestines.