Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 28, 2025

Spore Adsorption as a Nonrecombinant Display System for Enzymes and Antigens
Published on: March 19, 2019
Effect of Sugars on the Real-Time Adsorption of Expansin on Cellulose
Peiqian Zhang1,2, Yuanyuan Ma3, Mei Cui1
1State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Membrane Science and Desalination Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P.R. China.
Abstract:
Biological pretreatment is a safe and environmentally friendly method for disrupting recalcitrant lignocellulose structures. Expansin and expansin-like proteins are used to open up the cellulose structure and display significant synergism when mixed with cellulases that catalyze the breakdown of (hemi)cellulose into sugars. However, the adsorption behavior of expansin in the presence of sugar products is yet unknown. In this work, we monitored the effects of various sugars on the real-time adsorption of Bacillus subtilis expansin (BsEXLX1) onto cellulose films using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation. Cellobiose and xylose at low concentrations enhanced BsEXLX1 adsorption, whereas they disrupted adsorption at higher concentrations. Arabinose and mannose continuously inhibited expansin adsorption with increasing concentration. No obvious influence of glucose and galactose on BsEXLX1 adsorption was found. Contact angle measurements and atomic force microscopy of cellulose upon BsEXLX1 adsorption in the presence of sugars showed that both hydrophilicity and roughness increased with BsEXLX1 treatment. These results give us the ability to modulate and control expansin adsorption and provide insights into effective expansin use during enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose in biorefineries.
More Related Videos
06:51High-throughput Screening of Carbohydrate-degrading Enzymes Using Novel Insoluble Chromogenic Substrate Assay Kits
Published on: September 20, 2016
12:02Automated Modular High Throughput Exopolysaccharide Screening Platform Coupled with Highly Sensitive Carbohydrate Fingerprint Analysis
Published on: April 11, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Cellulose and Pectic Polysaccharides
As a cell matures, its cell wall specializes according to its type. For example, the...
Cell Adhesion in Plants
Pectins are complex heteropolymers mainly composed of negatively-charged α-D-glucopyranosyl uronic acid and some neutral glycosyl residues such as α-L-rhamnopyranose, α-L-arabinofuranose,...
Role of Microtubules in Cell Wall Deposition
Chemistry of Carbohydrates
Glucose Absorption Into the Small Intestine