The mycolytic bacterial strain Bacillus sp. 739 produces extracellular enzymes which degrade in vitro the cell walls of a number of phytopathogenic and saprophytic fungi. When Bacillus sp. 739 was cultivated with Bipolaris sorokiniana, a cereal root-rot pathogen, the fungus degradation process correlated with the levels of the β-1,3-glucanase and protease activity. The comparative characteristic of Bacillus sp. 739 enzymatic preparations showed that efficient hydrolysis of the fungus cell walls was the result of the action of the complex of enzymes produced by the strain when grown on chitin-containing media. Among the enzymes of this complex, chitinases and β-1,3-glucanases hydrolyzed most actively the disintegrated cell walls of B. sorokiniana. However, only β-1,3-glucanases were able to degrade the cell walls of native fungal mycelium in the absence of other hydrolases, which is indicative of their key role in the mycolytic activity of Bacillus sp. 739.

The data on features of the hydrolytic cleavage of chitosan by different groups of specific and nonspecific enzymes are summarized. Alternative approaches to the production of chitooligomers and their

The mycolytic activity of 27 strains of antagonistic bacilli belonging to two taxonomic groups (18 strains of Bacillus subtilis and 9 strains of Paenibacillus ehimensis) capable of induced synthesis of chitinolytic enzymes was studied. Most of the B. subtilis strains neither displayed visible mycolytic effects on the phytopathogenic fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana in vitro, nor produced chitinases in the presence of an autoclaved mycelium. On the contrary, P. ehimensis strains grown under conditions favorable for induction of chitinases and other hydrolases exhibited a pronounced lytic effect on B. sorokiniana and actively grew by utilizing mycelium as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen. Comparison of the mycolytic activities of extracellular hydrolases in the studied strains demonstrated low correlation between chitinase production and the ability of the strains to degrade the cell walls of B. sorokiniana. Characterization of enzyme profiles in the studied strains revealed that β-1,3-glucanase was a more significant factor than chitinase for determining the mycolytic potential of bacteria and their ability to utilize the mycelium of phytopathogenic fungi as a growth substrate.