NOVELTY - Isolated polypeptide (I) having fully defined carbohydrate binding domain (CBD) III sequence (1) of 153 amino acids, catalytic domain (CD) sequence (2) of 640 amino acids, fibronectin domain (FN)III sequence (3) of 85 amino acids, CBD II sequence (4) of 101 amino acids, Gux1 sequence (5) of 1121 amino acids as given in specification, or sequence having 70% sequence identity to above sequences, is new.    USE - (I) is useful for reducing cellulose in a starting material, which involves administering (I) to the starting material. The method further comprises administering a second polypeptide molecule chosen from glycoside hydrolase family of proteins. The polypeptide molecule is thermostable. The starting material is agricultural biomass or municipal solid waste. (V) is useful in an assay method for the detection of a polynucleotide encoding Gux1, which involves amplifying a nucleic acid sequence with (V) and correlating the amplified nucleotide sequence with detected polypeptide encoding Gux1 (claimed). The Gux1 polypeptides are useful for delivering or targeting pharmaceutical composition with in a host.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are also included for the following:    (1) a composition (II) comprising a substantially purified thermostable Gux1 peptide, comprising a catalytic domain GH48, a carbohydrate binding domain (CBD) type III, and carbohydrate binding domain (CBD) type II;    (2) a thermal tolerant Gux1 peptide (III) having a fully defined sequence of 1121 amino acids as given in specification;    (3) an industrial mixture suitable for degrading cellulose, comprising (III);    (4) a fusion protein comprising (I) and a heterologous peptide;    (5) a cellulase-substrate complex comprising (I) bound to cellulose;    (6) a vector comprising the polynucleotide molecule that encodes (I);    (7) a host cell (IV) genetically engineered to express (I) or a polynucleotide encoding (I);    (8) a composition comprising (I) and a carrier;    (9) an isolated antibody that specifically binds (I);    (10) producing (I);    (11) a set of amplification primers (V) for amplification of polynucleotide molecule encoding Gux1, comprising two or more sequences comprising nine or more contiguous nucleotides of polynucleotide encoding (I);    (12) a probe for hybridizing to polynucleotide encoding Gux1, comprising a sequence of nine or more contiguous nucleotides of polynucleotide encoding (I);    (13) assessing the carbohydrate degradation activity of Gux1, involves analyzing carbohydrate degradation in the presence and absence of Gux1 on a substrate and comparing the carbohydrate degradation in the presence of Gux1 with the carbohydrate degradation in absence of Gux1; and    (14) assessing (M1) the carbohydrate degradation activity of Gux1 in the presence of an agent of interest, involves analyzing a carbohydrate degradation in the presence of Gux1 and carbohydrate degradation in the presence of Gux1 and the agent of interest on a substrate exposed and comparing the carbohydrate degradation in Gux1 treated substrate with carbohydrate degradation in Gux1 treated substrate in the presence of agent of the interest.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The figure shows the schematic representation of the gene sequence and amino acid segment organization of Gux1 polypeptide.