BETA-GLUCOSIDASE CODING SEQUENCES AND PROTEIN FROM ORPINOMYCES PC-2

Abstract: Provided is a novel beta -glucosidase from Orpinomyces sp. PC-2, nucleotide sequences encoding the mature protein and the precursor protein, and methods for recombinant production of this beta -glucosidase.

Description: BETA-GLUCOSIDASE CODING SEQUENCES AND PROTEIN FROM ORPINOMYCES PC-2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF FEDERAL RESEARCH SUPPORT This invention was made, at least in part, with funding from the United States Department of Energy (Grant No. DE-FG02 93ER 20127). Accordingly, the United States Government has certain rights in this invention. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The field of the present invention is the area of cellulolytic enzymes, nucleotide sequences encoding them and recombinant host cells and methods for producing them. Cellulosic biomass, photosynthesized by solar energy with CO 2 and H 2 0, is one of the most important renewable energy resources on earth. Its effective utilization through biological processes is one approach to overcoming the shortage of foods, feeds and fuels, expected as a consequence of the explosive increase in human population [Ohmiya et al. (1997) Biotechnol Gen. Engineer. Rev. 14:365-414]. Several types of enzymes are required for complete hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose, including endoglucanase, exoglucanase or cellobiohydrolase and β-glucosidase [Filho (1996) Can. J. Microbiol 42:1-5]. β-Glucosidase (β-D-glucoside glucohydrolase; EC 3.2.1.21) is common among plants, fungi and bacteria. β-Glucosidase has aroused considerable interest primarily because of its involvement in the biological conversion of cellulosic material. The enzymatic saccharification of cellulosic materials to D-glucose is known to require the synergistic action of three classes of enzymes: endo-l,4-β-D-glucanohydrolase (EC 3.2.1.74) , 1,4-β-D- cellobiohydrolase (EC 3.22.1.91), and 1 ,4-β-D-glucosidase (β-glucosidase; EC 3.2.1.21). Endo-l,4-β-D-glucanases act randomly on cellulose chains, whereas 1,4-β-D- cellobiohydrolases cleave cellobiosyl residues from the ends of cellulose chains, generating cellobiose as the main product. β-Glucosidase acts to liberate D-glucose units from cellobiose, cello-oligosaccharides, and other glucosides [Freer (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268:9337-9342]. Anaerobic fungi have been isolated from the alimentary tracts of herbivores and other environments [Li et al. {1991) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63:628-635; Wubah and Kim (1994) Abstracts of the 94 th Gen. Meet, of the American Society for Microbiology. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA]. They produce highly active hydro lytic enzymes [Borneman et al. (1989) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 55:1066-1073]. Genes encoding several cellulases and xylanases have been cloned and sequenced from anaerobic fungi Neocallimastix patriciarum [Black et al. {1994) Biochem. J. 299:381-387; Denman et al. (1996) Appl Environ. Microbiol. 62:1889- 1896; Gilbert et al. (1992) Mol. Microbiol. 6:2065-2072; Zhou et al. (1994) Biochem. J. 297:359-364], Piromyces sp. [Fannuti et al. (1995) J Biol. Chem. 270:29314-29322] and Orpinomyces sp. [Chen et al. (1998) FEMS Microbiol. Letts. 159:63-68; Li et al. (1997) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63:628-635]. In addition, genes coding for three mannanases from Piromyces sp. [Fanutti et al. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270:29314-29322; Mill ward- Sadler et al. (1996) FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 141 :183-188] and one 1, 3-1, 4-β-D-glucanase from Orpinomyces sp. [Chen et al. (1997) J Bacteriol 179:6028-6034] have been cloned and sequenced. However, genes coding for β-glucosidases of anaerobic fungi have not been reported even though several such enzymes from Neocallimastix [Herbaud and Fevre (1990) Appl Environ. Microbiol. 56:3164-3169; Li and Calza (1991 A) Enzyme Microb. Technol 13:622-628; Li and Calza (1991B) Biochem. Biophys. Acta 1080:148-154], Orpinomyces [Chen et al. (1994) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60:64-70], and Piromyces [Teunissen et al. (1992) Arch. Microbiol 158:276-281] have been purified and characterized. There is a longfelt need in the art for β-glucosidase enzymes with catalytic properties which allow for improved saccharification of cellulosic materials and partial breakdown products thereof. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a β-glucosidase and the nucleotide sequences encoding it from Orpinomyces PC-2. The coding sequence for the protein, including its signal peptide and the stop codon, is given in SEQ ID NO:l, nucleotides 39- 2012. The mature β-glucosidase is encoded at nucleotides 87-2009, exclusive of the stop codon. The deduced amino acid sequences of the signal peptide and of the mature protein is given in SEQ ID NO:2. Alternative β-glucosidase sequences are SEQ ID NO:2, amino acids 24-641 or SEQ ID NO:2, amino acids 33-641. Also within the scope of the present invention are nonnaturally occurring recombinant DNA molecules comprising all synonymous sequences encoding the β-glucosidase of the present invention, recombinant host cells comprising the aforementioned DNA molecules, and methods for the synthesis of recombinant β-glucosidase of the present invention. Preferably, the coding sequence for the β-glucosidase is operably linked to transcription and translation control sequences functional in the desired host cell. A desired recombinant host cell is a yeast, as specifically exemplified, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell genetically engineered to contain and express the β-glucosidase coding sequences of the present invention. Other recombinant host cells of the present invention include, without limitation, fugi such as Aspergillus spp., Trichoderma spp., Pichia spp., Aureobasidium spp. and bacteria, including but not limited to Bacillus spp. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 illustrates β-glucosidase production by recombinant S cerevisiae cultures after galactose induction. An aliquot of an overnight culture grown in DOB medium was used to inoculate raffmose-YPD medium. After growth to an OD 600 of 1.0, sterile galactose was added. Samples were withdrawn at times points shown in the figure. OD 600 of control culture (■ "" ■), OD 600 (• "" •) and β-glucosidase activity of cell extract (■ " ■) and culture medium (• " " •) of transformant #1 were determined. Culture conditions, preparation of the samples, and enzyme assay were described in the Examples. The control culture corresponds to the yeast containing the pYES2 without any insert. Figs. 2A-2B show SDS-PAGE (10%)/zymogram analysis of the secreted and cell- associated forms of BglA. Fig. 2A shows the results of SDS-PAGE stained with Coomassie brilliant blue R-250; Fig. 2B is a photograph of a β-glucosidase zymogram gel. Lane S, protein molecular mass standards; lane 1, crude culture supernatant (10 μg); lane 2, purified secreted BglA (2 μg); lane 3, crude cell extract (60 μg); lane 4, partially purified Bgll (2 μg); lane 5, partially purified Bgl2 (2 μg) ; lane 6, purified secreted BglA (2 μg); lane 7, Bgll (2 μg); lane 8, Bgl2 (2 μg). Fig. 3 illustrates SDS-PAGE Analysis of BglA treated with N-glycosidase F. Lane S, protein molecular mass standards; lane 1, purified secreted BglA (2.4 μg); lanes 2, purified secreted BglA (2.4 μg) treated with N-glycosidase F. Figs. 4A-4B show the effects of pH and temperature on the activity of purified BglA. Fig. 4 A shows the effect of pH on the activity determined at 40°C; and Fig. 4B shows the effect of temperatures on the activity determined at pH 6.0. Symbols: (•), pNPGase activity; (■), cellobiase activity. Fig. 5 illustrates the thermostability of purified BglA and BglA treated with N- glycosidase F. The enzyme was incubated at 40°C (•), 50°C (■) and 55 °C (A). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Abbreviations used in the present specification include the following: aa, amino acid(s); bp, base pair(s); CD, catalytic domain(s); cDNA, DNA complementary to RNA; GCG, Genetics Computer Group, Madison, WI; CMC, carboxymethyl cellulose; CMCase, carboxymethyl cellulase; FPase, filter paper-ase; HMWC, high-molecular weight complex(es); IPTG, isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactoside; OSX, oat spelt xylan; ORF, open reading frame; RBB, remazol brilliant blue; RP, repeated peptide(s); pfu, plaque forming units. Orpinomyces sp. strain PC-2, a polycentric anaerobic fungus isolated from the rumen of a cow, produces high levels of β-glucosidase as well as endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolase and xylanase [Borneman et al. (1989) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 55:1066-1073]. A β- glucosidase secreted into the culture supernatant has been recently purified and characterized [Chen et al. (1994) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60:64-70]. Different hydrolytic enzymes of Orpinomyces have been found to function individually or in high molecular weight enzyme complexes (HMWC) [Chen et al. (1997) J Bacteriol 179:6028-6034; Chen et al. (1998) FEMS Microbiol. Letts. 159:63-68; Li et al. { 991) Appl Environ. Microbiol. 63:628-635; Li et al. (1997) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63:4721-4728]. The enzyme complexes purified from residual solid substrate of the fungal culture have been shown to contain β-glucosidase activity [Li et al. (1997) Abstract O-31, p. 424. 97 th Gen. Meet. Am. Soc. Microbiol. American Society for Microbiology, Washington D.C., Romanos, M.A., CA. Scorer, and J.J. Clare. 1992. Yeast 8:423-488], indicating that β-glucosidase(s) serve as components of the HMWCs produced by the fungus. Many hydrolytic enzymes sequenced to date contain, in addition to catalytic domains, a non-catalytic repeated peptide domain (NCRPD), which functions as a dockerin in the cellulosome of Clostridium thermocellum [Beguin and Lemaire (1996) Critical Rev. Biochem. Mol. Biol. 31 :201-236] and cellulosome-like complexes of anaerobic fungi [Fanutti et al. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270:29314-29322]. Polyclonal antibodies raised specially against the NCRPD of Orpinomyces XynA cross-reacted with a number of polypeptides in the culture media of Orpinomyces and Neocallimastix grown on cellulose [Li et al. (1997) Appl. Environ. Microbiol 63:628-635; Li et al. { 991) Appl Environ. Microbiol. 63:4721-4728], suggesting that a number of NCRPD-containing enzymes remain to be isolated. To isolate cDNAs coding for NCRPD-containing polypeptides, we used the XynA NCRPD specific antibodies to screen an Orpinomyces cDNA library [Chen et al. (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92:2587-2591]. Twenty-five positive plaques were isolated after screening 1.0 x 10 5 plaque forming units. Sequencing of the inserted cDNAs in the pBluescipts after being excised from pure positive lambda plaques revealed that several presented different lengths of cDNAs coding for, in addition to xynA [Li et al. (1997) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63:628-635], celA [Li et al. {1991) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63:4721-4728], celB [Li et al. { 991) Appl Environ. Microbiol. 63:628-635], celC [Li et al. {1991) Appl Environ. Microbiol. 63:4721- 4728], and celE [Chen et al. (1998) FEMS Microbiol. Letts. 159:63-68], three new sequences. One of the new sequences had an 800 bp insert (pBglό), and its deduced amino acid sequence shared some homology with certain β-glucosidases. Using the cDNA fragment in pBglό as a hybridization probe, plaques containing cDNAs (pBgll3) with a complete ORF encoding a putative β-glucosidase {bglA) were isolated from the same cDNA library. The complete nucleotide sequence of bglA (SEQ ID NO:l) is shown in Table 12. The total length of the cDNA was 2435 bp. It contained an ORF of 1974 bp (including the stop codon) encoding a polypeptide of 657 amino acids with a molecular mass of 75,227 Da (SEQ ID NO:2). Like cellulase B [Li et al. (1997) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63:628-635] and cellulase F isolated from the same fungus, there was a long 3' non-coding A-T rich end (423 bp) was observed after the ORF, but there was no apparent polyadenylation. The translation start codon (ATG) for bglA was assigned based on there being stop codons in all three frames preceding the ORF and there being no ATG codon upstream of the proposed ORF. In addition, the N-terminal region of BglA contains the properties of fungal signal peptides [von Heijne (1986) Nucleic Acids Res. 14:4683-4690]. Furthermore, close examination of the complete amino acid sequence of BglA revealed no NCRPD sequence, indicating that BglA is not a component of the HMWCs, and, surprisingly, that its cDNA was isolated due to nonspecific cross-reaction between partial BglA and the NCRPD-specific antibodies. Table 12 shows the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of bglA from Orpinomyces sp. strain PC-2. N-terminal amino acid sequences of BglA and the two cell associated forms (Bgll and Bgl2) were underlined with dotted, single and double lines, respectively. The asterisk indicates the stop codon. See also SEQ ID NO:l, SEQ ID NO:2. The G+C content of the entire cDNA and the ORF of bglA was 36% and 42.3%, respectively, and that of the 5' and 3' non-coding region was 9.1%, which is very low. Low G+C contents have also been found in other cDNAs of anaerobic fungi [Chen et al. (1997) J. Bacteriol 179:6028-6034; Chen et al. (1998) FEMS Microbiol. Letts. 159:63-68; Li et al. {1991) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63:628-635]. The deduced amino acid sequence of BglA was compared with other protein sequences in the SWISS PROT and GP data banks. Comparisons using Bestfit program revealed that BglA had significant, but limited, levels of identity with β-glucosidases from Cavia porcellus (pig, 41.2%) [Hays et al. (1996) Biochem. J. 319:829-837], Costus speciosus (40%) [Inoue et al. (1996) FEBS 389:273-277], Clostridium thermocellum (40.2%) [Grabnitz et al. (1991) Eur. J. Biochem. 200:301-309], Bacillus circulans (41.7%) [Paavilainen et al. (1993) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 59:927-932], Thermoanaerobacter sp. (40.6%) [Breves et al. { 991) Appl Environ. Microbiol. 63:3902-3910], and Thermotoga maritima (40.7%) [Liebl et al. (1994) Mol. Gen. Genet. 242:111-115]. No significant identity (<20%) was found with β-glucosidases from aerobic fungi such as those from Trichoderma reesei and Aspergillus aculeatus. Multiple sequence alignment between BglA and structurally related β- glucosidases is given in Table 13. The sequences shown are the Orpinomyces sp. strain PC-2 (Bgla_Orpin), Cavia porcellus (Bgl_Capor) [Hays et al. (1996) Biochem. J. 319:829-837], Costus speciosus (Bgl_Cosspe) [Inoue et al. (1996) FEBS 389:273-277]; Bacillus circulans (Bgla_Bacci) [Paavilainen et al. {1993) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 59:927-932]; Thermotoga maritima (Bgla Thema) [Liebl et al. (1994) Mol Gen. Genet. 242:111-115]; Clostridium thermocellum (Bgla_Clotm) [Grabnitz et al. (1991) Eur. J. Biochem. 200:301-309] and Thermoanaerobacter brockii (Bgl_Theran) [Breves et al. (1997) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63:3902-3910]. Despite several homologous regions, BglA was much longer than its homologous enzymes. Close examination of the sequences revealed that Glu-250 and Glu- 523 are conserved between all the enzymes and these two residues in the Bacillus polymyxa β-glucosidase were found to be directly involved in catalysis [Sanz-Aparicio et al. (1998) J Mol. Biol. 275:491-502]. Gln82, His 260, Tyr 433, Glu-523 and Tyr 607, which are also conserved, have been identified as determinant residues for the recognition of substrates [Sanz-Aparicio et al. (1998) J. Mol. Biol. 275:491-502]. According to Henrissat and Bairoch [(1993) Biochem. J. 293:781-788], this group of enzymes was placed in Family 1 glycosyl hydrolases. No β-glucosidase activity was found in the recombinant E. coli culture harboring the complete bglA cDNA. This is consistent with the failure to detect any positive plaques when using 4-methylumbelliferyl-β-D-glucoside, a fluorescent substrate of β-glucosidases, as a screening substrate. Lack of functional expression in E. coli might be related to differences between anaerobic fungi and E. coli in posttranslational modifications such as glycosylation and folding. We then attempted to express the gene in S. cerevisiae, because several other genes encoding hydrolytic enzymes have been expressed in various strains of the yeast. These include sequences encoding for two endoglucanases [Penttila et al. (1987) Yeast 3:175-185], two cellobiohydrolases [Penttila et al. (1988) Gene 63:103-112] and one β-glucosidase from Trichoderma reesei [Cummings and Fowler (1996) Curr. Genet. 29:227-233], a xylanase from Aureobasidium pullulans [Li and Ljungdahl (1996) Appl. Environ. Microbiol 62:209- 213], an α-amylase from wheat [Rothstein et al. (1987) Gene 55:353-356] etc. Recently, a cellulase gene cassette encoding the Butyrivibrio fώrisolvens endo-β-l,4-glucanase (ΕND1), Phanerochaete chrysosporium cellobiohydrolase (CBH1), the Ruminococcus flavefaciens cellodextrinase (CΕL1) and the Endomyces fibrilizer cellobiase (Bgll) was successfully expressed in a laboratory strain of S. cerevisiae [Van Rensburg et al. (1998) Yeast 14:67-76]. After transformation, ten yeast transformants were grown in synthetic drop out supplment media without uracil, using raffinose as growth substrate and galactose as inducer (see Examples), β-glucosidase activity was measured for the cells and in the culture medium. All activity was found to be associated with cells, and no activity was found in the culture medium for all the transformants. It has been reported that culture conditions can strongly affect the secretion of enzymes from S cerevisiae. For example, the secretion of a wheat α- amylase from S. cerevisiae into the medium was efficient only in a rich medium, but barely detectable in a minimal medium [Rothstein et al. (1987) Gene 55:353-356]. The secretion of the Orpinomyces BglA from S. cerevisiae is the same (Fig. 2). A substantial percent (40%) of the total β-glucosidase activity was found in the culture medium after 24 h of growth. The levels of activity in cell-associated and culture medium fractions stayed almost constant during the cultivation period (96 h). The growth rates for the transformants using plasmids with and without bglA inserted were the same, indicating that BglA and its gene did not affect the physiology of the yeast. A higher percentage of a T. reesei β-glucosidase, when expressed in S. cerevisiae, was found in the culture medium [Cummings and Fowler (1996) Curr. Genet. 29:227-233]. A summary of the purification of the Orpinomyces BglA secreted by S. cerevisiae culture is given in Table 1. The enzyme was purified about 28-fold to homogeneity with a specific activity of 18.8 U/mg and a yield of about 1%. Multiple peaks of activity were observed during the purification steps, but only the major activity peak was used for further purification, indicating that BglA was secreted into the culture medium with multiple forms due to proteolysis or different levels of glycosylation. Two cell-associated forms (Bgll and Bgl2) of BglA were also partially purified from cell-free extracts of recombinant yeast cells using phenyl Sepharose, Mono Q and Superdex 200. The sizes of Bgll (first band in lanes 4 and 7) and Bgl2 (first band in lanes 5 and 8) were estimated to be around 65 kDa by SDS-PAGE/zymogram analysis (Figs. 3 A-3B). The purified BglA, Bgll and Bgl2 were all subjected to N-terminal amino acid sequencing. The secreted BglA had an N-terminal sequence of KKCIVKSDAA (SEQ ID NO:3), which matched amino acid residues 17-26 (Table 12), demonstrating that amino acid residues 1-16 were cleaved during secretion. Thus, the first 16 amino acid residues apparently serve as a signal peptide in both Orpinomyces and S. cerevisiae. Removal of 16 amino acid residues at the N-terminus resulted in 641 amino acid residues with a calculated mass of 73,608 Da for the mature BglA. The signal peptide had a basic amino acid (Lys) as the second N-terminal residue, followed by a hydrophobic amino acid region containing in some points non-hydrophobic residues. This is in agreement with the work of Ngsee et al. [Ngsee et al. (1989) Mol. Cell Biol. 9:3400-3410], where using site-directed mutagenesis of the signal sequence of yeast invertase gene, sue 2, it was showed that the essential feature of a signal peptide for yeast is a hydrophobic core of 6-15 amino acids. The core region can be interrupted to a certain extent by non-hydrophobic residues. The purified recombinant BglA gave a broad band with a average size of about 110 kDa on SDS-PAGE (Fig. 3 A), which was larger than that calculated for the deduced mature enzyme. Only one N-glycosylation site Asn-X-Ser/Thr [Orlean et al. (1991) Methods Enzymol. 194:682-696] corresponding to amino acid residues 280-282 (Table 12) was found in the entire BglA sequence. However, the size of the purified enzyme after treated with N-glycosidase F, an enzyme specifically removing N-glycosylation, shifted to two sharp bands with very similar sizes (87 and 92kDa) on SDS- PAGE (Fig. 4). N-terminal amino acid sequencing revealed that these two bands had amino acid sequences at their N-termini identical to that of the secreted BglA. These results indicate that about 20% (wt/wt) of N-glycosylation was added to BglA during secretion from S. cerevisiae and that the size difference between the two similar bands after the N-glycosidase F treatment is probably due to O-glycosylation. The β-glucosidase purified from the culture supernatant of the same fungus had a mass of 85 kDa including 8.5% (wt/wt) carbohydrate [Chen et al. (1994) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60:64-70]. If the native β-glucosidase [Chen et al. (1994) supra] and the secreted BglA reported here are products of the same gene, bglA of Orpinomyces PC-2, much heavier glycosylation (hyperglycosylation) was put by S. cerevisiae than by Orpinomyces. Hyperglycosylation was also found on the T. reesei endoglucanases [Penttila et al. (1987) Yeast 3:175-185], cellobiohydrolases [Penttila et al. (1988) Gene 63:103-112] and β-glucosidase [Cummings and Fowler (1996) Curr. Genet. 29:227-233] expressed in and secreted from S. cerevisiae. The N-terminal sequence for Bgll was APEDSGVES (SEQ ID NO:4) that matched amino acid residues 40-48, while that of Bgl2, GEDDELLDLS (SEQ ID NO:5) corresponding to amino acid residues 49-58 (Table 12). Thus the cleavages resulted in two truncated forms (Bgll and Bgl2) of BglA (Fig 3A-3B). These results indicate that Bgll and Bgl2 were cleaved at wrong (or alternate) sites and subsequently trapped during transport in the secretory pathway. The fact that these two truncated forms retained catalytic function indicates that the sequence of the BglA protein up to amino acid residue 48 is not critical for catalysis. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that this is why this region is absent in the homologous bacterial β-glucosidases (Fig. 1). The catalytic properties of the Orpinomyces PC-2 β-glucosidase were determined. Activity of the purified secreted BglA against pNPG and cellobiose was determined from pH 3.8 to 8.6 at 40°C. The optimum pH with both substrates was found to be between 5.5-7.5 (Fig. 5; Table 2). The enzyme was stable for at least 24 h between pH 3.4 to 10.2 at 4°C. Hydrolysis of pNPG and cellobiose by BglA, determined in 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer, pH 6.0, was most active at 55°C (Fig. 5; Table 2). Enzyme activity decreased rapidly above 60°C and lost its activity at 65°C. The enzyme maintained 100% of its activity for 8 h at 40 and 50°C (Fig. 6). Inactivation of BglA occurred slowly at 55°C, with 50% of the enzyme activity remaining after 8h of incubation (Fig. 6). At 60°C the enzyme was quickly inactivated. The optimum pH and temperature ranges of the recombinant BglA are similar to those reported for the native β-glucosidases of Orpinomyces sp strain PC-2 [Chen et al. (1994) Appl. Environ. Microbiol 60:64-70], N frontalis [Herbaud and Fevre (1990) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 56:3164-3169], and Piromyces sp. strain E2 [Teunissen et al. (1992) Arch. Microbiol. 158:276-281]. K.,,, K, and V max values for the secreted BglA were obtained from Lineweaver-Burk plots (Table 2). The K m value with pΝPG as substrate at 40°C and pH 6.0 was found to be 0.762 mM, higher than that [0.35 mM; Chen et al. (1994) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60:64- 70] reported for the native β-glucosidase of the same fungus. However, the K m value with cellobiose as substrate, 0.31 mM, was very similar to that (0.25 mM) for the native β- glucosidase. These values are within the range of K m values reported for several β- glucosidases of anaerobic fungi [Herbaud and Fevre (1990) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 56:3164-3169; Li and Calza (1991 A) Enzyme Microb. Technol 13:622-628; Li and Calza (1991B) Biochem. Biophys. Acta 1080:148-154; Teunissen et al. (1992) Arch. Microbiol. 158:276-281]. Comparison between the K,-, values for β-glucosidases from various sources indicates that the ones from anaerobic fungi have lower K m values than those from bacteria or aerobic fungi. The differences of K m values between the Orpinomyces native β-glucosidase and the recombinant BglA could be due to the different levels of glycosylation. Ward reported that chymosin, when a site for Ν-glycosylation was introduced, had lower specific activity [Ward (1989) EMBO-ALKO Workshop on Molecular Biology of Filamentous Fungi. Foundation for Biotechnical and Industrial Fermentation Research, Νevalainen, H. and Pentilla, M. (Eds), Espoo, pp. 119-128]. The effect on specific activity was considered to be probable a consequence of active site change by the glycosylation [Archer and Peberdy (1997) Critical Rev. Biotechnol. 17:273-306; Ward (1989) EMBO-ALKO Workshop on Molecular Biology of Filamentous Fungi. Foundation for Biotechnical and Industrial Fermentation Research, Νevalainen, H. and Pentilla, M. (Eds), Espoo, pp. 119-128]. Glucose and glucono-l,5-lactone competitively inhibited BglA with Ki of 3.6 and 0.05 mM, respectively. These numbers are lower than those for the native Orpinomyces β- glucosidase. Withing wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that this is due to glycosylation. The hydrolysis rates of BglA went down with high concentrations of substrate, particularly cellobiose (e.g. more than 1.5 mM). Substrate inhibition is common for β- glucosidases [Chen et al. (1994) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60:64-70; Li and Calza (1991A) Enzyme Microb. Technol 13:622-628; Li and Calza (1991B) Biochem. Biophys. Acta 1080:148-154] and is attributed to retention of product on the enzyme [Li and Calza (199 IB) Biochem. Biophys. Acta 1080:148-154]. BglA has specificity for aryl-β-glucoside bonds and was not able to hydrolyze alkyl-β- glucoside bonds or α-l,4-glucoside bonds. The enzyme rapidly hydrolyzed sophorose (β-1,2- glucobiose), laminaribiose (β-l,3-glucobiose) and cellobiose (β-l,4-glucobiose), but lacked activity on gentibiose (β-l,6-glucobiose), methyl-β-glucoside, p-nitrophenyl-β-xyloside (pNPX), salicin, maltose, sucrose, lactose, xylan, microcrystalline cellulose, or carboxymethyl cellulose. Low level of activity was found on pNPX when enzyme in the assay was increased 20 times. BglA reported here and the native β-glucosidase [Chen et al. (1994) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60:64-70] had the almost identical substrate specificity. Interestingly, such substrate specificity is very similar to that of a β-glucosidase purified from the anaerobic rumen bacterium Ruminococcus albus [Ohmiya et al. (1985) J Bacteriol 161 :432-434]. To compare enzyme activities of crude enzyme preparations, 750 ml of T. reesei supernatant was concentrated about 56 fold to 13.5 ml. Under standard assay conditions, activities of CMCase, FPA, and β-glucosidase of the sample are given in Table 1. CMCase and FPA activities of the cell-free extract of the recombinant Orpinomyces CelF (cellobiohydrolase Il-like cellulase) are 8.43 U/ml and 0.46 U/ml, respectively. CelF did not have any detectable activity against pNPG. One hundred ml yeast culture medium containing the recombinant Orpinomyces β-glucosidase (Bgal) was concentrated about 10 fold to 10 ml. Glucosidase activity in the sample was 1.68 U/ml with pNPG as substrate. The recombinant β-glucosidase did not hydrolyze CMC, filter paper, or Avicel. Hydrolysis products formed during the action of various combinations of the enzyme samples on filter paper were characterized. Reactions (1.5 ml) containing 4μl of concentrated T. reesei cellulase (0.054 U of FPA), and/or 10 μl Orpinomyces recombinant CelF (0.0046 U of FPA), and 24 μl recombinant β-glucosidase were incubated at 50°C for 1 and 3 h. The hydrolysis products formed were determined by HPLC (Table 5). The hydrolysis products formed during the action of various combinations of the enzyme samples on Avicel were characterized. Reactions (1.5 ml) containing 8 μl concentrated T. reesei cellulase (0.108 U of FPA), and/or 20 μl Orpinomyces recombinant CelF (0.0092 U of FPA), and/or 24 μl recombinant β-glucosidase were incubated at 37°C for 16 h in a shaker (280 rpm). The hydrolysis products formed were determined by HPLC (Table 6). The hydrolysis products formed during the action of various combinations of the enzyme samples on CMC were characterized. Reactions (1.5 ml) containing 0.2 μl concentrated T. reesei cellulase (0.0054 U of FPA), and/or 10 μl Orpinomyces recombinant CelF (0.0046 U of FPA), and/or 6 μl recombinant β-glucosidase were incubated at 50°C for 0.5 and 2 h. The hydrolysis products formed were determined by HPLC (Table 7). Hydrolysis products formed during the action of various combinations of the enzyme samples on corn fiber were characterized. 1.5 ml reaction volume containing 10 // of concentrated T. reesei cellulase (0.136U of FPA), and/or 20 μl of the recombinant CelF of Orpinomyces PC-2 (0.0092 U of FPA), and/or 20 μl of the recombinant BglOr, and 50 mg corn fiber was incubated at 40°C for 12 h. The hydrolysis products formed were determined by HPLC (Table 8). Glucose production by T. reesei cellulase supplemented with recombinant β- glucosidase of Orpinomyces PC-2 or β-glucosidase of Aspergillus niger using Avicel as a substrate was compared. A 1.5 ml reaction volume containing 8 μl of concentrated T. reesei cellulase (0.108 U of FPA), 20 μl the recombinant of CelF of Orpinomyces PC-2 (0.0092 U of FPA), various amounts of the β-glucosidases, and 15 mg Avicel was incubated at 40°C for 12 h in a shaker (280 rpm). The hydrolysis products formed were determined by HPLC (Table 9). Glucose production by T. reesei cellulase supplemented with recombinant β- glucosidases of Orpinomyces PC-2 and Aspergillus niger was compared using filter paper as the substrate. A 1.5 ml reaction volume containing 4 μl of concentrated T. reesei cellulase (0.054 U of FPA), 10 μl recombinant CelF of Orpinomyces PC-2 (0.0046 U of FPA),and 20 μl of the recombinant BglOr or BglAn from Aspergillus niger was incubated at 50°C for 1 and 3 h, respectively. The hydrolysis products formed were determined by HPLC (Table 10). Because the present Orpinomyces PC-2 stimulated saccharification by T. reesei enzymes, it is desirable to produce recombinant T. reesei expressing the Orpinomyces β-glucosidase for improved cellulase-to-glucose conversion. In recent years, with the realization of β-glucosidase' s critical role in cellulolytic enzyme systems, much research effort has been directed toward finding a suitable β- glucosidase for application in the enzymatic conversion of cellulose to glucose [Saha et al. (1995) In Enzymatic Degradation of Insoluble Carbohydrates, Eds. Saddler and Penner, M.H. ACS Symposium Serious 618, pp.197-207]. Many attempts have been made to increase glucose production by the supplementation of exogenous β-glucosidase in cellulose hydrolysis processes using cellulase enzymes [Saha et al. (1995) In Enzymatic Degradation of Insoluble Carbohydrates, Eds. Saddler and Penner, M.H. ACS Symposium Serious 618, pp.197-207; Desrochers et al. { 9 ) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 41 :222-228]. Several are outlined here: Varying concentrations of Aspergillus niger β-glucosidase were mixed with T. reesei cellulase, leading to a 20% increase in conversion of cellulose to ethanol in 24 h on simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) [Pemberton et al. (1980) Can. J. Chem. Eng. 58:723-734]. The β-glucosidase from Aureobasidium pullulans showed a synergistic interaction with cellulase to increase glucose production by 13.5% [Saha et al. (1995) In Enzymatic Degradation of Insoluble Carbohydrates, Eds. Saddler and Penner, M.H. ACS Symposium Serious 618, pp.197-207]. The addition of a cloned glucosidase from Clostridium thermocellum increased the degradation of crystalline cellulose by the C. thermocellum cellulase complex [Katayeva et al. (1992) Enzyme Microb. Technol 14:407- 412]. However, the increase in glucose production was not very significant, and therefore better β-glucosidases with high specific activity and low product inhibition are urgently needed. Inhibition by glucose, a common characteristic of β-glucosidases, is an obvious constraint to be overcome for this enzyme to have industrial applications. Most β- glucosidases studied were competitively inhibited by glucose. Some glucose inhibition constants for β-glucosidases from various sources are shown in Table 8. β-Glucosidase from T. reesei is more sensitive to glucose inhibition (Ki, 0.62 mM), while the Orpinomyces β-glucosidase is much less sensitive (Ki, 8.75mM). This could be why the increase of glucose production is so substantial when the Orpinomyces β-glucosidase is added to the T. reesei cellulase preparation during cellulose hydrolysis. The Orpinomyces β-glucosidase converted the accumulated cellobiose and other cello-oligosacchrides to glucose, which could not be achieved by the Trichoderma β-glucosidase due to inhibition by relatively low concentrations of glucose. The total amount of glucose in the presence of Orpinomyces β-glucosidase is 7 fold higher, which is more than the total moles of glucose and cellobiose together without supplementation, indicating that conversion of cellobiose to glucose greatly eliminates the cellobiose inhibition on Trichoderma endoglucanases and cellobiohydrolases. This was also true when corn fiber was the substrate, where cellobiose accumulated with T. reesei cellulase alone and Orpinomyces β-glucosidase converted the cellobiose completely to glucose. In comparison to β-glucosidase from A. niger, β-glucosidase from Orpinomyces PC-2 was significantly more efficient in increasing glucose production when added to cellulose hydrolysis using T. reesei cellulases. Based on the data obtained using Avicel as substrate, β- glucosidase from Orpinomyces was four times more effective in catalyzing glucose production than the Aspergillus β-glucosidase. Our results demonstrate that β-glucosidase from the anaerobic fungus Orpinomyces PC-2 is superior to other glucosidases from fungi and bacteria. The high specific activity, low Km, and high Ki by glucose, and activity toward cello-oligosaccharides up to pento- oligosaccharide [Chen et al. (1994) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60:64-70] should make the enzyme a suitable candidate for application in the hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose. It will further be understood by those skilled in the art that other nucleic acid sequences besides that disclosed herein for BglA will function as coding sequences synonymous with the exemplified coding sequences. Nucleic acid sequences are synonymous if the amino acid sequences encoded by those nucleic acid sequences are the same. The degeneracy of the genetic code is well known to the art. For many amino acids, there is more than one nucleotide triplet which serves as the codon for a particular amino acid, and one of ordinary skill in the art understands nucleotide or codon substitutions which do not affect the amino acid(s) encoded. It is further understood in the art that codon substitutions to conform to common codon usage in a particular recombinant host cell is sometimes desirable Specifically included in this invention are sequences from other strains of Orpinomyces and from other anaerobic fungi which hybridize to the sequence disclosed for β- glucosidase under stringent conditions. Stringent conditions refer to conditions understood in the art for a given probe length and nucleotide composition and capable of hybridizing under stringent conditions means annealing to a subject nucleotide sequence, or its complementary strand, under standard conditions (i.e., high temperature and/or low salt content) which tend to disfavor annealing of unrelated sequences, (indicating about 95 - 100% nucleotide sequence identity). Also specifically included in this invention are sequences from other strains of Orpinomyces species and other anaerobic fungi which hybridize to the sequences disclosed for bglA under moderately stringent conditions. Moderately stringent conditions refer to conditions understood in the art for a given probe sequence and "conditions of medium stringency" means hybridization and wash conditions of 50°-65°C, 1 X SSC and 0.1% SDS (indicating about 80 - 95% similarity). Also specifically included in this invention are sequences from other strains of Orpinomyces from other anaerobic fungi, and from other organisms, including humans, which hybridize to the sequences disclosed for bglA under highly stringent conditions. Highly stringent conditions refer to conditions understood in the art for a given probe sequence and "conditions of high stringency" means hybridization and wash conditions of 65°-68°C, 0.1 X SSC and 0.1% SDS (indicating about 95-100%) similarity). Hybridization assays and conditions are further described in Sambrook et al. [(1989) supra]. A method for identifying other nucleic acids encoding β-glucosidases is also provided wherein nucleic acid molecules encoding β-glucosidases are isolated from an anaerobic fungus, and nucleic acid hybridization is performed with the nucleic acid molecules and a labeled probe having a nucleotide sequence that includes all or part of nucleotide sequence SEQ ID NO: 1. By this method, silencing genes similar to the exemplified bglA gene may be identified and isolated from other strains of Orpinomyces or other anaerobic fungi. All or part of a nucleotide sequence refers specifically to all continuous nucleotides of a nucleotide sequence, or e.g. 1000 continuous nucleotides, 500 continuous nucleotides, 100 continuous nucleotides, 25 continuous nucleotides, and 15 continuous nucleotides. Sequences included in this invention are those amino acid sequences which are 75% identical to the amino acid sequences encoded bythe exemplified Orpinomyces PC-2 bglA. Sequences included in this invention are also those amino acid sequences which are 80, 85, 90, 95 to 100%), and all integers between 75% and 100%), identical to the amino acid sequences encoded by exemplified Orpinomyces bglA, SEQ ID NO:2, amino acids 1-641, 24 to 641 or 33 to 641. It is well-known in the biological arts that certain amino acid substitutions may be made in protein sequences without affecting the function of the protein. Generally, conservative amino acid substitutions or substitutions of similar amino acids are tolerated without affecting protein function. Similar amino acids can be those that are similar in size and/or charge properties, for example, aspartate and glutamate, and isoleucine and valine, are both pairs of similar amino acids. Similarity between amino acid pairs has been assessed in the art in a number of ways. For example, Dayhoff et al. (1978) in Atlas of Protein Sequence and Structure, Volume 5, Supplement 3, Chapter 22, pp. 345-352, which is incorporated by reference herein provides frequency tables for amino acid substitutions which can be employed as a measure of amino acid similarity. Dayhoff et al.'s frequency tables are based on comparisons of amino acid sequences for proteins having the same function from a variety of evolutionarily different sources. Percentage of sequence identity for polynucleotides and polypeptides is determined by comparing two optimally aligned sequences over a comparison window, wherein the portion of the polynucleotide or polypeptide sequence in the comparison window may comprise additions or deletions (i.e., gaps) as compared to the reference sequence (which does not comprise additions or deletions) for optimal alignment of the two sequences. The percentage is calculated by determining the number of positions at which the identical nucleic acid base or amino acid residue occurs in both sequences to yield the number of matched positions, dividing the number of matched positions by the total number of positions in the window of comparison and multiplying the result by 100 to yield the percentage of sequence identity. Optimal alignment of sequences for comparison may be conducted by computerized implementations of known algorithms (e.g., GAP, BESTFIT, FASTA, and TFASTA in the Wisconsin Genetics Software Package, Genetics Computer Group (GCG), 575 Science Dr., Madison, Wis., or BlastN and BlastX available from the National Center for Biotechnology Information), or by inspection. Sequences are typically compared using either BlastN or BlastX with default parameters. Substantial identity of polynucleotide sequences means that a polynucleotide comprises a sequence that has at least 75% sequence identity, preferably at least 80%, more preferably at least 90% and most preferably at least 95%. Typically, two polypeptides are considered to be substantially identical if at least 40%, preferably at least 60%, more preferably at least 90%, and most preferably at least 95%> are identical or conservative substitutions. Sequences are preferably compared to a reference sequence using GAP using default parameters. Polypeptides which are "substantially similar" share sequences as noted above except that residue positions which are not identical may differ by conservative amino acid changes. Conservative amino acid substitutions refer to the interchangeability of residues having similar side chains. For example, a group of amino acids having aliphatic side chains is glycine, alanine, valine, leucine, and isoleucine; a group of amino acids having aliphatic- hydroxyl side chains is serine and threonine; a group of amino acids having amide-containing side chains is asparagine and glutamine; a group of amino acids having aromatic side chains is phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan; a group of amino acids having basic side chains is lysine, arginine, and histidine; and a group of amino acids having sulfur-containing side chains is cysteine and methionine. Preferred conservative amino acids substitution groups are: valine-leucine-isoleucine, phenylalanine-tyrosine, lysine-arginine, alanine-valine, and asparagine-glutamine . Another indication that polynucleotide sequences are substantially identical is if two molecules selectively hybridize to each other under stringent conditions. Stringent conditions are sequence dependent and will be different in different circumstances. Generally, stringent conditions are selected to be about 5 °C lower than the thermal melting point (Tm) for the specific sequence at a defined ionic strength and pH. The Tm is the temperature (under defined ionic strength and pH) at which 50% of the target sequence hybridizes to a perfectly matched probe. Typically stringent conditions for a Southern blot protocol involve washing at 65°C with 0.2XSSC. Monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies, preferably monoclonal, specifically reacting with a particular β-glucosidase enzyme of the present invention may be made by methods known in the art. See, e.g., Harlow and Lane [(1988) Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories; Goding (1986) Monoclonal Antibodies: Principles and Practice, 2d ed., Academic Press, New York]. Standard techniques for cloning, DNA isolation, amplification and purification, for enzymatic reactions involving DNA ligase, DNA polymerase, restriction endonucleases and the like, and various separation techniques are those known and commonly employed by those skilled in the art. A number of standard techniques are described in Sambrook et al. [(1989) Molecular Cloning, Second Edition, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Plainview, New York; Maniatis et al. (1982) Molecular Cloning, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Plainview, New York; Wu (ed.) (1993) Meth. Enzymol 218, Part I; Wu (ed.) (1979) Meth. Enzymol. 68; Wu et al. (eds.) (1983) Meth. Enzymol 100 and 101; Grossman and Moldave (eds.) Meth. Enzymol. 65; Miller (ed.) (1972) Experiments in Molecular Genetics, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York; Old and Primrose (1981) Principles of Gene Manipulation, University of California Press, Berkeley; Schleif and Wensink (1982) Practical Methods in Molecular Biology; Glover (ed.) (1985) DNA Cloning Vol. I and II, IRL Press, Oxford, UK; Hames and Higgins (eds.) (1985) Nucleic Acid Hybridization, IRL Press, Oxford, UK; and Setlow and Hollaender (1979) Genetic Engineering: Principles and Methods, Vols. 1-4, Plenum Press, New York]. Abbreviations and nomenclature, where employed, are deemed standard in the field and commonly used in professional journals such as those cited herein. Each reference cited in the present application is incorporated by reference herein to the extent that it is not inconsistent with the present disclosure. The following examples are provided for illustrative purposes, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as claimed herein. Any variations in the exemplified articles which occur to the skilled artisan are intended to fall within the scope of the present invention. EXAMPLES Example 1. Strains, enzymes, plasmids and genes. Escherichia coli TOP 10, S. cerevisiae INSC1 (MAT his 3-D 1 El 2 trpl-289 ura3- 52) and plasmid pYES2 were purchased from Invitrogen Corp. (San Diego, CA). pYES2 possesses ampicillin and tetracycline resistance genes for selection in E. coli, a URA3 gene for high-copy-number maintenance and selection in S. cerevisiae INSC1, and a GAL 1 promoter sequence. The bglA cDNA of Orpinomyces sp. PC-2 was cloned by screening a cDNA library [Chen et al. (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92:2587-2591] as described below. A culture of T. reesei was grown at 23 °C for 4-5 days on 3% Avicel with 0.5%) wheat bran in enriched Mandels minimal solution [Mandels and Andreotti (1978) Process Biochem. 5:6] plus 50 mM sodium citrate (pH 5.0) in 2 L flasks. The culture was centrifuged at 15,000 g for 15 min to remove residual wheat bran, and fungal mycelia. A crude enzyme preparation from the culture supernatant was obtained by ultrafiltration using an Amicon Stircell equipped with a PM 10 membrane (10 kDa) and stored at -20°C until used. A single colony of E. coli XL-1 Blue harboring pCΕL8 grown on a LB-ampicillin plate was inoculated into a flask containing 500 ml of LB-ampicillin liquid medium. The culture was shaken (280 rpm) at 37°C and grown to an OD 600 of approximately 1.0. Isopropyl-1-thio-β-D-galactopyranoside (1 mM) was added and the culture was shaken for another 4 h to induce and allow expression. Cells were harvested by centrifugation (5,000 x g, 10 min), washed with 50 ml of buffer containing 50 mM sodium citrate (pH 5.5) and resuspended in 30 ml of the same buffer. The cells were then disrupted by sonication (four times at 7,000 cycles in a Branson Sonifier 450). Cell debris were removed by centrifugation (15,000 x g, 10 min). Aspergillus β-Glucosidase was purchased from Fluka Chemie AG (Switzerland). Example 2. Screening of an Orpinomyces cDNA library using antibodies. The production of antibodies against the different regions of Orpinomyces xylanase A was described previously [Li et al. (1997) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63:628-635]. Immunoscreening was done following the procedure of Pico Blue ™ Immunoscreening kit (Stratagene, La Jolla, CA). Pure positive plaques were obtained after a secondary screening. Lambda phages were converted into pBluescript SK- by in vivo excision and the pBluescript DNA was purified from overnight grown cultures in Luria-Bertani medium containing 50 μg/ml ampicillin using the plasmid purification system purchased from Qiagen (Chartsworth, CA). DNA sequence was determined by automatic PCR sequencing [Li et al. (1997) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63:628-635]. The nucleotide sequence of Orpinomyces PC-2 BglA has been assigned accession number AF016864 in the GenBank database. Example 3. DNA hybridization screening. A 400-bp DNA fragment of the partial bglA sequence obtained by antibody screening was amplified by PCR and labeled with digoxigenin. Using the labeled fragment as a hybridization probe, the same cDNA library was screened according to instructions of Boehringer Mannheim (Indianapolis, IN) using the Genius kit. Positive plaques were converted to pBluescripts, and their inserted DNA sequences were determined as described [Li et al. {1991) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63:628-635]. Example 4. Construction of plasmid cassette. Plasmid pYES2 was digested with Sαcl and Xbal overnight. The digested plasmid was purified using the Geneclean II kit (Bio 101, Inc., La Jolla, CA). On the basis of the nucleotide sequence of the cloned gene, forward (PFBgl, 5'GCCGAGCTCGATGAAGACTCTTACTGTTTTC3') (SEQ ID NO:6) and reverse (PRBgl, 5'GCTCTAGAGTTAGTTTTGTTCAACATTTTC3') (SEQ ID NO:7) primers were synthesized. PFBgl corresponded to the first seven amino acids of the open reading frame (ORF) and had a Sad site attached , whereas PRBgl corresponded to the last six amino acids plus a stop codon and had a Xbal site attached. Using PFBgl and PRBgl as primers and plasmid PBgll3 as template, the whole ORF was amplified by PCR. PCR was carried out for 30 cycles of denaturation (1 min at 94°C), annealing (1.5 min at 42°C) and extension (3.5 min at 72°C) on a 480 Thermocycler (Perkin-Elmer Co., Norwalk, Conn). PCR products were purified using the Geneclean kit and digested with Sαcl and Xbal. Digested DNA fragments were purified and concentrated before they were ligated to the digested pYES2 with T4 ligase. Example 5. Transformation of E. coli and Plasmid Propagation Ligation reactions were performed using a rapid ligation kit (Boehringer Mannheim). E. coli TOP 10 transformants were plated out on Luria-Bertani plates containing ampicillin (50 μg/ml). Colonies were picked up and grown overnight in Luria-Bertani liquid medium containing ampicillin. Plasmids were purified with the spin column kit from Qiagen. Restriction digestion and nucleotide sequencing were employed to verify the presence, orientation and sequence of the insert. Example 6. Transformation of S. cerevisiae and Expression. A single colony of yeast strain INVScl was grown to an OD 600 of 1.3 in YPD medium, pH 6.5, containing 1% (wt/vol) yeast extract, 1% (wt/vol) bactopeptone and 1% (wt/vol) dextrose. Cells were harvested by centrifugation (4,000 x g for 5 min) at 4°C and washed twice with ice-cold sterile H 2 O and twice with ice-cold IM sterile sorbitol. After that, the cells were resuspended in 0.5 ml of IM sorbitol. Approximately 5 μg of plasmids was used to transform 40 μl of prepared yeast cells using an electroporator (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hercules, CA). Transformants were grown on DOB medium containing 0.17% (wt/vol) yeast nitrogen base without amino acids and NH 2 SO 4 , 2.0%> (wt/vol) dextrose, 0.08% (wt/vol) drop out supplements lacking uracil (BiolOl, Inc.), 2% (wt/vol) agarose and IM sorbitol. The plates were incubated at 30°C for 3 to 5 days. Ten putative transformants were chosen for induction experiments. Each was cultivated in 10 ml of DOB medium containing 0.11% (wt/vol) yeast nitrogen base without amino acids and NH 2 SO 4 , 0.08% (wt/vol) drop-out supplement lacking uracil and 4% (wt/vol) raffmose. After the OD 600 reached 1.0, galactose was added to a final concentration of 2% (wt/vol). Samples were collected before and periodically after the addition of galactose. Transformant #7, which produced the highest level of β-glucosidase activity, was chosen for induction experiments in a more nutritious medium. A single colony of the transformant was used for inoculating 2 ml of DOB medium. After OD 600 reached 0.8, one milliliter of the culture was added to 100 ml YPD-raffinose (4% wt/vol) medium, and the culture was shaken (250 rpm) at 30°C. Sterile galactose (2.0%>, wt/vol) was added to the culture after OD 600 reached 1.0. Samples were collected before and periodically after the addition of galactose. Cells were harvested by centrifugation (5,000 x g, 5 min) at 4°C. All samples were kept at - 20°C until analyzed. Yeast strain INSC1 harboring plasmid p69 (pYES inserted with BglA cDNA) was cultivated in a medium containing 4% raffmose for 20 h until an OD 600 of 1.0 was reached. Then sterile galactose was added to 2.0%> and the culture was shaken for another 24 h. The yeast cells were removed by centrifugation (5,000 x g, 20) and supernatant was concentrated using the method described above. The concentrated sample was stored at -20°C. Example 7. Enzyme assays. β-Glucosidase (p-nitrophenyl-β-D-glucosidase [pNPGase]) and cellobiase activities were determined by the following standard procedures. With p-nitrophenyl-β-D-glucoside (pNPG) as the substrate, the reaction mixture of 1.2 ml contained 0.3 ml of appropriately diluted enzyme solution, 0.6 ml of 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer, pH 6.0, and 0.3 ml of 12 mM pNPG. The reaction was carried out for 10 min at 40°C and stopped by the addition of 2.4 ml of IM Na 2 CO 3 . The liberated p-nitrophenol was measured spectrophotometrically at 405 nm [Herr et al. (1978) Appl. Microbiol Biotechnol. 5:29-36; Chen et al. (1992) Biochem. Biophys. Acta. 1121 :54-60]. Cellobiase activity was determined by using a reaction mixture of 2 ml containing 1 ml of appropriately diluted enzyme solution in 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer, pH 6.0, and 1 ml of 2 mM cellobiose. The reaction was carried out at 40°C for 30 min and was stopped by placing the assay tubes in boiling water for 5 min. Liberated glucose was measured with a glucose determination kit (Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO) according to the manufacturer's instructions. One unit of β-glucosidase or cellobiase activity is defined as the amount of enzyme required to hydrolyze 1 μmole of substrate per min. Specific activity is expressed as unit per milligram of protein. Cellobiase activity was determined using a reaction mixture of 2 ml containing 1 ml appropriately diluted enzyme solution in sodium phosphate, 50 mM, pH 6.0, and 1 ml cellobiose, 2 mM. The reaction was carried out at 50°C for 30 min and stopped by placing the assay tubes in boiling water for 5 min. Liberated glucose was measured with the glucose determination Kit No 510 (Sigma) according to the manufacturer's instruction. Avicel activity and carboxymethylcellulase activity (CMCase) were measured in 50 mM citrate phosphate, pH 5.5. A volume of 1.0 ml Avicel suspension (1.5 %) or carboxymethylcellulose (CMC, 1%) was incubated at 50°C with 0.5 ml suitable diluted enzyme solution for 4 and 0.5 h, respectively. The concentration of reducing sugar in the supernatant was determined with the dinitrosalicyclic acid reagent [Miller (1959) Anal. Chem. 31 :426-428]. To assay filter paper activity (FPA) assay, a 50 mg Whatman No. 1 filter paper strip was used as substrate in the reaction for 1 h. One unit (U) of enzyme activity was defined as the amount of enzyme required for the release of one μmol of product per min under assay conditions. Specific activity was expressed as units per mg of protein. To examine hydrolysis of filter paper by mixed culture filtrates, a total reaction volume of 1.5 ml contained 50 mg filter paper (50 mM citrate phosphate, pH 5.4), suitable amount of a diluted T. reesei cellulase preparation, the Orpinomyces recombinant CelF, β- glucosidase, and Aspergillus β-glucosidase. The reactions were stopped by boiling for 5 min. The cello-oligosaccharides or other monosugars in the reaction mixtures were determined using a HPLC method (see below). Similar procedures were employed when Avicel, CMC, and corn fiber were used as substrates. HPLC analysis was used to examine the hydrolysis products of various enzyme reactions. Cello-oligosaccharides or various monosugars released from the substrates were analyzed with a Hewlett-Packard 1100 series HPLC equipped with an autoinjector and a 1047A RI detector using a Bio-Rad Aminex HPX-42A or HPX-87P carbohydrate columns. Water was used as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.6 ml/min and the column temperature was set at 80°C. Glucose, cellobiose, cellotriose, cellotetraose, and cellopentaose or cellobiose, glucose, xylose, galactose, arabinose, and mannose were used as standards. Exmaple 8. Enzyme purification. S. cerevisiae culture (7.5 liter) harboring PBgll3 was grown in YPD medium containing 4% raffmose for 24 h at 30°C. The culture supernatant was obtained by centrifugation (4,000 x g, 20 min) and concentrated to a volume of approximately 155 ml by using an ultrafiltration cell (Amicon Co., Beverly, MA) equipped with a PM 10 membrane. The buffer was changed to 50 mM sodium phosphate, pH 6.0, and then ammonium sulfate was added to a concentration of 0.8 M. The solution was centrifuged (20,000 x g, 10 min) at 4°C to remove precipitated material. More than 80% of the β-glucosidase activity was found in the supernatant which was loaded on a Phenyl Superose 10/10 (Pharmacia, Piscataway, NJ) column equilibrated with 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer, pH 6.0, containing 0.8 M ammonium sulfate. Phenyl Superose is used in hydrophobic interaction chromatography. This resin contains phenyl groups linked to a cross-linked agarose matrix. The major β- glucosidase fraction did not bind to the column. This nonbound sample was then concentrated, and the buffer was changed to 20 mM piperazine-HCl, pH 6.0. The solution was applied to a Mono Q 5/5 (Pharmacia) strong anion exchange column equilibrated with 20 mM piperazine-HCl, pH 6.0. The enzyme bound to the column. Two peaks of activity were eluted with a linear gradient of NaCl (0 to 1 M). The major fraction was concentrated and changed into 20 mM formic acid buffer, pH 4.0. The sample was applied to a reverse phase Resource S column (Pharmacia). The enzyme did not adsorb to the column. Final purification was achieved by gel filtration over a Superdex 200 26/60 gel filtration column (Pharmacia) equilibrated with 20 mM sodium phosphate buffer, pH 6.0, containing 100 mM NaCl. Fractions containing β-glucosidase were stored at -20°C until further analysis. Procedures for partial purification of the cell-associated β-glucosidases were generally identical to those for the secreted BglA except that cell extract rather than culture supernatant was the starting material. Example 9. Analytical methods. Sodium-dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide (7.5 and 10%) gel electrophoresis (SDS- PAGE) was carried out in Laemmli's buffer [Laemmli (1970) Nature (London) 227:680-685]. High-molecular-weight protein standards (Bio-Rad) were used as markers. Electrophoresis was performed in a Mini-Protein II cell and gels were stained with Coomassie brilliant blue R 250 [Fairbanks et al. (1971) Biochemistry 10:2606-2616]. β-Glucosidase activity bands in native gels were visualized by the method of Rutenburg et al. [Rutenburg et al. (1960) J. Histochem. Cytochem. 8:268-272] with 6-bromo-naphthyl-β-D-glucopyranoside as substrate. The carbohydrate content of the purified enzyme was determined by using the phenol- sulfuric method of Dubois et al. [Dubois et al. (1956) Analytic. Chem. 28:350-356] with mannose as standard. Protein content was measured according to Lowry et al. [(1951) J Biol. Chem. 193:265-273] with bovine serum albumin as standard. The pH optimum was determined by performing assay with either pNPG or cellobiose as substrate at 40°C in the following buffer systems: 0.1 M sodium acetate (pH 3.8 to 5.6), 0.1 M sodium phosphate (pH 5.8 to 7.6) and 0.1 M HEPES-NaOH (pH 8.0 to 8.6). Enzyme stability at different pH values was determined by measuring the residual activity after incubating the enzyme for 24 h at 4°C with the buffers above plus glycine-HCl for pH 3.0 to 3.4 and piperazine-HCl for pH 9.0 to 10.2. The effect of the temperature on β-glucosidase activity was determined by assaying the enzyme at temperatures from 30 to 65°C. To assess the stability of the glycosylated and deglycosylated BglA at various temperatures, enzyme preparations was incubated in 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer, pH 6.0, from 10 min to 8 h in temperatures from 40 to 60°C. During the time course, aliquots were withdrawn and kept on ice. Remaining activity in the samples were determined under standard assay conditions. Several - and β-glucosides (ImM) and polysaccharides (0.5%, wt /vol) were tested as substrates for the purified enzyme. p-Nitrophenol [Herr et al. (1978) Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 5:29-36] and glucose were determined as described above. Reducing sugars were determined following the procedure of Miller [Miller (1959) Anal. Chem. 31 :426-428]. To measure kinetic parameters, hydrolysis rates were done varying the concentrations of pNPG (0.05 to 10 mM) and cellobiose (0.05 to 1.0 mM). The inhibition by glucose was evaluated with only pNPG as substrate, while the inhibitory effect of glucono-l,5-lactone was verified with both pNPG and cellobiose as substrates. K-., V max and K, values were obtained from Lineweaver-Burk plots. For N-terminal sequence analysis, proteins were separated on SDS-PAGE [Laemmli et al. (1970) Nature (London) 227:680-685] and transferred to polyvinylidine difluoride membranes in a Mini Trans-Blot cell (Bio-Rad Laboratories). Protein bands on the membranes were visualized by Coomassie Blue R-250 staining and excised using a razor blade. N-terminal amino acid sequencing of the protein bands was performed on an Applied Biosystems model 477A gas phase sequencer equipped with an automatic on-line phenylthiohydantoin analyzer. Table 1. Summary of purification of recombinant Orpinomyces PC-2 BglA from the culture medium of S. cerevisiae. Purification step Total protein Total unit 3 Sp. act. Yield (mg) (μmole/min) (μmole/min/mg) (%) Culture filtrate 480.0 326.8 0.68 100.0 Concentrated 165.3 319.7 1.93 97.8 supernatant Phenyl Sepharose 17.1 101.4 5.9 31.0 Mono Q 5.2 66.0 12.8 20.2 Resource S 2.23 38.3 17.2 11.7 Superdex 200 0.17 3.2 18.8 1.0 a Activities were measured with pNPG as substrate. Table 2. Some properties of the purified recombinant BglA of Orpinomyces produced in S. cerevisiae. Molecular mass Deduced 75,227 Da Before deglycosylation 110,000 Da After N-glycosidase F treatment 87 and 97 Da Optimum pH at 40°C 5.5-7.5 Optimum Temperature at pH 6.0 55°C pNPG 0.762 mM Cellobiose 0.310 mM V * max pNPG 8.20 μmole/min/mg Cellobiose 6.20 μmole/min/mg K, of Glucose 3.6 mM Table 3. Substrate specificity of the Orpinomyces BglA purified from S. cerevisiae" culture. Substrate Specific activity 0 (1 mM) (μmole/min/mg) p-nitrophenyl-β-glucosidase 2.10 Cellobiose (β- 1,4) 1.87 o-nitrophenyl-β-glucosidase 2.99 Sophorose (β-1,2) 4.53 Laminaribiose (β- 1 ,3) 6.10 a Conditions were 40°C and pH 6.0. b Activity on gentibiose (β-l,6-glucoside), methyl-β-glucoside, p-nitrophenyl-β-xyloside, salicin, maltose, sucrose, lactose, xylan (1.0%, wt/vol), Avicel (1.0%, wt/vol), or carboxymethylcellulose (1.0%, wt/vol) was less than 1.0% of that on p-nitrophenyl-β-glucoside. Table 4. Activities of the cellulase preparation from T. reesei Type U/ml CMCase 189.8 Filter paper activity (FPA) 13.6 β-Glucosidase (pNPGase) 2.0 Table 5. HPLC analysis of products of filter paper hydrolysis Time Enzymes Products (mMol/L) Gl G2 G3 % (G) 1 h T. reesei 0.34 0.74 2.6 100 T. reesei + CelF 1.0 1.34 trace 298 T. reesei + BglOr 1.80 trace trace 537 T reesei + CelF + BglOr 1.75 0.15 trace 522 CelF trace 0.016 0.011 3 h T reesei 1.0 1.34 trace 100 T. reesei + CelF + BglOr 4.36 trace trace 437 CelF trace 0.04 0.021 BglOr: β-glucosidase of Orpinomyces PC-2 CelF: Cellulase F of Orpinomyces PC-2 Table 6. HPLC analysis of products of Avicel hydrolysis Enzymes Products (mMol/L) Gl G2 G3 % (G) T. reesei 1.03 1.52 100 T. reesei + CelF 1.54 2.04 150 T. reesei + BglOr 7.20 - 699 7. reesei + CelF + B, glOr 7.92 - 769 CelF - 0.026 0.010 - Table 7. HPLC analysis of products of CMC hydrolysis Time Enzymes Products (mMol/L) Gl G2 G3 G4 G5 0.5 h T. reesei 0.14 0.038 0.019 0.013 T. reesei + CelF - 0.33 0.11 0.011 - T reesei + BglOr 0.36 0.13 0.025 0.01 - CelF - 0.15 0.074 0.009 - 2 h T reesei 0.005 0.37 0.094 0.014 T. reesei + CelF 0.43 0.11 trace T reesei + BglOr 1.12 0.021 CelF 0.23 0.095 Table 8. HPLC analysis of products of corn fiber hydrolysis Enzymes Products (mMol/L) G2 Gl Xyl 1 Gal 2 Ara 3 % (G1) T. reesei 1.4 15.8 0.53 0.068 0.16 100 T. reesei + BglOr - 22.8 0.57 0.1 144 T. reesei + CelF + BglOr 0.055 21.76 0.64 0.15 138 1 Xyl: xylose 2 Gal: galactose 3 Ara:arabinose Table 9. Comparison of glucose production by T. reesei cellulase supplemented with recombinant β-glucosidase of Orpinomyces PC-2 or A. niger β-glucosidase (HPLC analysis of products, Avicel as the substrate) Enzymes Products (mMol/L) _G1 G2 % (G) T. reesei 1.5 1.6 100 T. reesei + BglOr (20 μl) 5.2 - 347 + BglAn (20 μl) 1 4.8 0.30 320 T reesei + BglOr (10 μl) 5.1 - 340 + BglAn (10 μl) 3.4 0.39 227 T reesei + BglOr (5 μl) 4.9 0.11 327 + BglAn (5 μl) 3.0 0.76 200 T. reesei + BglOr (2.5 μl) 3.5 0.26 233 + BglAn (2.5 μl) 2.2 0.88 147 T. reesei + BglOr (1.25 μl) 2.4 0.79 160 + BglAn (1.25 μl) 1.7 1.0 113 T. reesei + CelF + BglOr (20 μl) 5.9 393 + CelF + BglAn (20 μl) 4.0 0.28 267 T reesei + CelF + BglOr (10 μl) 5.7 - 380 + CelF + BglAn (10 μl) 3.7 0.58 247 T. reesei + CelF + BglOr (5 μl) 5.0 0.16 333 + CelF + BglAn (5 μl) 3.0 0.87 200 T. reesei + CelF + BglOr (2.5 μl) 3.5 0.59 233 + CelF + BglAn (2.5 μl) 2.2 0.98 147 T reesei + CelF + BglOr (1.25μ 2.4 1.0 160 + BglAn (1.25 μl) 1.9 1.3 127 '. BglAn: β-glucosidase from A. niger; amounts of the two β-glucosidase activity (BglOr and BglAn) are the same in each comparison study. Table 10. Comparison of glucose production by T. reesei cellulase supplemented with recombinant β-glucosidases of Orpinomyces PC-2 or A. niger (HPLC analysis of products, filter paper as the substrate) Time (h) Enzymes Products (mMol/L) Gl G2 % (G) 1 T reesei 0.40 0.67 100 T reesei + BglOr 2.22 0.075 555 T. reesei + BglAn 1.03 0.42 258 T reesei + CelF + BglOr 2.29 0.14 573 T. reesei + CelF + BglAn 1.15 0.53 288 T. reesei 1.1 0.66 100 T. reesei + BglOr 4.95 0.14 450 T reesei + BglAn 2.69 0.67 245 T reesei + CelF + BglOr 5.25 0.16 477 T. reesei + CelF + BglAn 2.80 0.80 255 Table 11. Comparison of Km and Ki of some β-glucosidase from various microorganisms Source Cellobiose affinity Glucose inhibition (Ki, mM) (Km, mM) Orpinomyces PC-2 0.25 8.75 [Chen et al. (1994) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60:64-70] T reesei [Chen et al. 2.10 0.62 (1992) Biochem. Biophys. Acta. 1121 :54-60] Aspergillus niger [Hoh et 0.89 3.22 al. { 992) Appl Microbiol. Biotechnol. 37:590-593] Aspergillus nidulans 1 5.48 [Kwon et al. (1992) FEMS Microbiol Letts. 97:149-154] Aureobasidium pullulans 5.65 1.0 [Saha et al. (1995) In Enzymatic Degradation of Insoluble Carbohy-drates, Eds. Saddler and Penner, M.H. ACS Symposium Serious 618, pp.197-207] Thermotoga sp 19 0.42 [Ruthersmith and Daniel (1993) Biochem. Biophys. Acta. 1156:167-172] Sporotrichum thermophile 0.83 0.5 [Bhat et al. (1993) J. Gen. Microbiol. 139:2825- 2832] Clostridium thermocellum 11 Na* [Katayeva et al. (1992) Enzyme Microb. Technol l4:401-412] Na*, not available. Table 12. Nucleotide (cDNA) and Deduced Amino Acid Sequence for Orpinomyces PC-2 β-glucosidase (BglA). AAATAATTAAATTAAGATATATATAATAAATAAATAAAATGAAGACTCTTACTGTTTTCT M K T T V F S 8 CTGCTTTATTAGCTGTTACTGCTGCTAAGAAGTGCATTGTTAAGAGCGATGCTGCTGTTG A L A V T A A L.L.. ....L..?._.?..._ D ....A.i.. V A 28 CTTCTGAAGCTGAAGAAGTCACTGCTGA ' CTTACTG^TC ' CAG-AAGASCT^T ' GTTGAAT S E A E E V T A E L T A P E D S G V E S 48 CT G GTGAAGATGATGAATTATTAGATTTATCTACCATTGACTACGGAGAT GA TGTTG A CA 68 S T V K K P A D F K G A A T A A Y Q 88 AAGTTGAAGGTGCCTGGGATGAAGAAGGTCGTGGTGAATCTGTCTGGGATCACTTCACTC V E G A W D E E G R G E S V W D H F T H 108 ATCTTTACCCAAAGAATGTCGAATCTGGTGACAGATCCAAGGACTTCTCCACTAATGGTA Y P K N V E S G D R S K D F S T N G N 128 ACATTGCTTGTGATTCTTACCACAAGI CGACGAAGATGTTAAAATGTTAAAGCTCATGA I A C D S Y H K F D E D V K M K L M N 148 ATGCTAAATACTACCGTTTCTCTAΓΓTCATGGCCACGTCTTTTCCCAGATGGTCAAGCCA A K Y Y R F S I S W P R L F P D G Q A R 168 GAAAGGTTGACGGTAAATGGAACGTCAATGAAAAGGGTGCTGAATACTACGATATGGTTA K V D G K W N V N E K G A E Y Y D M V I 188 TCAATACTCTTCTTAAAAACGATATTGTRCCATTCGTTACTCTTTACCACTGGGATCTTC N T L K N D I V P F V T Y H W D L P 208 CATACGCTCTCCACGAAAAGTATGGTGGTTGGTTAGATTACCACTCCCAAGATGATTTCG Y A L H E K Y G G W L D Y H S Q D D F A 228 CCAAATACGCCGAATTCTGTTTCGAACGTTTTGGTGACCGTGTCAAGAACTGGATTACTA K Y A E F C F E R F G D R V N W I T I 248 TTAACGAACCATGGGTTAACTGTGTTTCTGGTTACCGTCTTGGTCCAGGTAAGGCTCCAT N E P W V N C V S G Y R G P G K A P Y 268 ACAGATGTACTGGTGAAGCTCCACGTAAGCTCCAAAACTCCACCGATCTTGACTTAGAAG R C T G E A P R K Q N S T D L D E G 288 GAGGTTGTTCCTACGAAATTGGTCCAACTCAATACTCTAAGAACTCTGAACCTCTTCCAG G C S Y E I G P T Q Y S N S E P P A 308 CTAACCGTGTTCCACAAAAGTTAGAAGATGTCTGGTGTTCCCACAATATTCTTCTTGGTC N R V P Q K L E D V W C S H N I L L G H 328 ACGCTAAGGCTGTTAAGGTCTACCGTGAAAAATTCCAAAAGAAGCAAAAGGGTCTTATTG A A V K V Y R E K F Q K K Q K G L I G 348 GTATTACCGTTGATGGTGAAGCTCAAATTCCATGGGTTGAACCAGGTATGACCAAGAAGG I T V D G E A Q I P W V E P G M T K K E 368 AATACGAAAACAACTTAAAGTACGCCAACTTAGCTGCTGAATTCCGTATTGGTTGGTACT Y E N N K Y A N A A E F R I G W Y S 388 CTGACCCACCAATGGTTGGTGACTATCCAAAGTCCGTTAAGGAAAGAATGGGTAAGGACT D P P M V G D Y P K S V K E R M G D 408 TACCAGAATTCACTGAAGAAGAAAAGAAGATCTTAAAGGGATCTTCCTCTGACTTCTTAG P E F T E E E K K I K G S Ξ S D F G 428 GTTGGAACACCTACACTGCΤCACTGGGCTGCTCAAGCTAAGAACGAAGATGGTTCTTACA W N T Y T A H W A A Q A K N E D G S Y I 448 TTCAACCACCAACTGCCGAAGAAGCTAACTTCGACAACTCCAAGAAGGATATGTGGGATG Q P P T A E E A N F D N S K K D M W D D 468 ATAACTGTAAGGGACGTGGTGATGGTTGGACTTGTATTCCACCAACTCTTGGTTCCCAAG N C K G R G D G W T C I P P T L G S Q A 488 CTGGTTCTTCCTGGAACACTAAGTTCGCTCCAACTATCCGTGTTGGTCTTAACTGGTTCT G S S W N T K F A P T I R V G N W F S 508 CCAAGCGTTACGAAGGTTTAATTAAGAACGGTATCGTTATTACTGAAAACGGTTGTGCCC K R Y E G I K N G I V I T E N G C A Q 528 Table 12. Continued AACCAAACTACAAGGTTGCTCGTGCTAATGATGAAGTTACTAAGAAGTACTTCGAATCTA P N Y K V A R A N D E V T K K Y F E S I 548 TTGGTCAACCAAAGTATGCTGATACTTACAAGGAAGAAGATATTGAAAGAGAAGACAACT G Q P K Y A D T Y K E E D I E R E D N L 568 TAGAAGGTACTCTTATGCACGATACCTACCGTATTGACTGGTACGACCAATACCTTAAGA E G T L M H D T Y R I D W Y D Q Y L K N 588 ACCTTCGTCTTGCCTACGCCGTCGATAACATCGATGTCCGTGGTTACATGGCCTGGTCTT L R L A Y A V D N I D V R G Y M A W S 608 TACTTGATAACTTTGAATGGGAAAACGGTTACGAAACTCGTTTTGGTATGACTTACATTG L D N F E W E N G Y E T R F G M T Y I D 628 ACTTCTACAATGACAAGGAAATGAAGCGTGTTCCAAAGGATTCCCTTGAACATCTTGGTC F Y N D K E M K R V P K D S L E H L G Q 648 AATGGTACCTCGAAAATGTTGAACAAAACTAAATTTCTTAAAAATTTATAATAATATTTT Y L E N V E Q N * 657 ATTACAATTATAAATAAATATATTAATAATGGAATTATTTTATTCACTTCTTTTGCTATA AGTAGTGAAATAAATTAATTTTATAATTATATAAATTTATAGAATAAATCTTTTTTGAAT CATTAAAATTAAAATAAATAATATACAAATTTTAATGAATAATAATGATTATTATTAAAT ATTCTAAAGAAGATTTATAATTTTTAAGAATAAATATAAAGCAAGAAAACAAATATAATT AAAAAAAATAAAAATTAAATATAAAATAAAAATAAAATAATAAAGCTTTGTGTTTAAAAT AAAATAGAGTAGTAAAAGCTATTCGCTATTCTTAATAAATATAAAAATATAAAATAAAGT TAAAAATTTAAATAAAATAAAAAATATTAATAAAA

Claims: WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. A non-naturally occurring recombinant DNA molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a fungal β-glucosidase, wherein said encoded fungal β-glucosidase has an amino acid sequence as given in SEQ ID NO: 2 from amino acid 1 through amino acid 641, from amino acid -16 through amino acid 641, from amino acid 24 through 641, or from amino acid 33 through 641, or a functionally equivalent sequence with at least 75% identity to one of the foregoing sequences. 2. The recombinant DNA molecule of claim 1 wherein said β-glucosidase is encoded by the nucleotide sequence as given in SEQ ID NO:l from nucleotide 156 to 2009 or from nucleotide 183 to 2009 or from nucleotide 87 through nucleotide 2009, from nucleotide 39 through nucleotide 2009, or a functionally equivalent sequence with at least 75% identity to one of the foregoing sequences. 3. The recombinant DNA molecule of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the β-glucosidase nucleotide sequence as given in SEQ ID NO:l nucleotides 87-2009, 156-2009 or 183- 2009, or a sequence having at least 70% nucleotide sequence homologous thereto and encoding a functional β-glucosidase additionally comprises DNA encoding a signal peptide immediately up stream of and operably linked to the nucleotide sequence encoding the mature β-glucosidase protein. 4. The recombinant DNA molecule of claim 3 wherein said signal peptide has an amino acid sequence as given in SEQ ID NO:2, amino acids -16 to -1. 5. The non-naturally occurring recombinant DNA molecule of claim 1 wherein said β- glucosidase has an amino acid sequence as given in SEQ ID NO:2, amino acids -16 to 641, amino acids 1-641, amino acids 24-641, or amino acids 33-641. 6. The non-naturally occurring recombinant DNA molecule of claim 5 wherein said nucleotide sequence encoding said β-glucosidase is as given in SEQ ID NO:l, nucleotides 39-2009, nucleotides 87-2009, nucleotides 156-2009, or nucleotides 183- 2009. 7. A host cell comprising the recombinant DNA molecule of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein said host cell is a member of a species selected from the group consisting of Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Trichoderma reesei, Penicillium, Aureobasidium, Streptomyces and Bacillus. 8. A method of using the recombinant DNA molecule of any of claims 1 to 6 to produce a β-glucosidase in a host cell other than Orpinomyces sp. strain PC-2, said method comprising the steps of: a) infecting or transforming said host cell capable of expressing a β-glucosidase coding region with a vector comprising a promoter active in said host cell wherein said promoter is operably linked to the coding region for said β- glucosidase as recited in claim 1 ; and b) culturing the infected or transformed host cell under conditions suitable for expression of said β-glucosidase coding sequence. 9. The method of claim 8 wherein said host cell is one of Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Trichoderma reesei, Pichia, Streptomyces and Bacillus. 10. The method of claim 8 wherein said vector further comprises a nucleotide sequence encoding a signal peptide operably linked between said promoter and said coding region. 11. The method of claim 9 wherein said signal peptide has an amino acid sequence as given in SEQ ID NO:2, amino acids -16 to -1. 2. A β-glucosidase protein in substantially pure form, said protein being purified from a fungus or a culture thereof or from a recombinant DNA molecule having a fungal β- glucosidase coding sequence, wherein said fungal β-glucosidase has an amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:2 from amino acids 1-641 or a functionally equivalent sequence with at least 75% amino acid sequence identity thereto, from amino acid -16 through amino acid 641 or a functionally equivalent sequence with at least 75% identity thereto, or amino acids 24-641 of SEQ ID NO:2 or a functionally equivalent sequence with at least 75% sequence identity thereto or amino acids 33-641 of SEQ ID NO:2 or a functionally equivalent sequence with at least 75% identity thereto.

Inventors: CHEN HUIZHONG, LI XIN-LIANG, LJUNGDAHL LARS G, XIMENES EDUARDO A, CHEN, HUIZHONG, LI, XIN-LIANG, LJUNGDAHL, LARS, G., XIMENES, EDUARDO, A.
Applicants: UNIV GEORGIA, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.
Application year: 1999
Main classification: C12N15
IPC codes: C12N1, C12N9, C12N15