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Published on: August 13, 2011
The initial kinetics of hydrolysis by cellobiohydrolases I and II is consistent with a cellulose surface-erosion
P Väljamäe1, V Sild, G Pettersson
1Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Estonia.
Abstract:
Introduction of a novel method for the quantification of the cellobiose released made it possible to follow the initial stage of hydrolysis of bacterial microcrystalline cellulose (BMCC) by cellobiohydrolases 1,4-beta-D-glucan-cellobiohydrolase I (CBH I) and 1,4-beta-D-glucan-cellobiohydrolase II (CBH II) from Trichoderma reesei. A drastic retardation of the rate of the hydrolysis was observed already at a very low degree of conversion. Earlier-suggested retardation factors, such as product inhibition by cellobiose or enzyme inactivation, could be discounted as primary causes for the pattern. A model including steric hindrance by non-productive binding and erosion of the cellulose surface during the processive action of exoenzymes was proposed to describe the rate retardation observed. Simultaneous action of CBH I and CBH II on cellulose was not a prerequisite for synergy between them.
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