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 that trap nutrients which are therefore 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 in the small intestines of these animals. This report describes the generation of transgenic animals with the capacity to express and secrete a functional endoglucanase from the exocrine pancreas.

The gene encoding endoglucanase E (celE) from Clostridium thermocellum was fused to the exocrine pancreas specific enhancer of the elastase I gene and the (β-globin polyadenylation signal, and used to create 14 lines of transgenic mice. A range of tissues were assayed for cellulase activity, using β-glucan and 4-methylumbelliferyl-β-D-cellobioside as substrates. The pancreas was also subjected to immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization.