Clostridium cellulolyticum (strain ATCC 35319 / DSM 5812 / JCM 6584 / H10) is a non-ruminal mesophilic cellulolytic bacterium originally isolated from decayed grass compost. An attractive feature of C. cellulolyticum is its capability of anaerobic fermentation of cellulosic plant materials, yielding acetate, ethanol, lactate, and H2, which could be used as alternative energy and commodity chemicals. The cellulolytic enzymes of this organism are bound to a protein scaffold in an extracellular multienzyme complex called a cellulosome. The bio-energy yields of cellulose fermentation by C. cellulolyticum and other cellulolytic microorganisms vary considerably depending on growth phase, substrate limitation, cultivation mode, nutrient condition, and pH. The proposed genome sequencing of C. cellulolyticum would provide important information regarding the metabolic and regulatory pathways responsible for cellulose degradation and energy production. (adaptated from genomeportal.jgi-psf.org/cloce/cloce.home.html).