Efficient cellulose solubilization by a combined cellulosome-β-glucosidase system

Raphael Lamed*, Rina Kenig, Ely Morgenstern, Jose Francisco Calzada, Fabiola De Micheo, Edward A. Bayer

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

41 Scopus citations

Abstract

The cellulosome, the multienzyme complex of the cellulase system of Clostridium thermocellum, that mediates the solubilization of insoluble cellulose, is strongly inhibited by the major end product, cellobiose. By combining a purified β-glucosidase from Aspergillus niger with the cellulosome, accumulated cellobiose was hydrolyzed thereby resulting in a dramatic enhancement (up to 10-fold) of cellulose degradation. The observed enhancement was expressed both in the rate and degree of solubilization of microcrystalline cellulose, compared with that observed for the unsupplemented cellulosome. Near-complete conversion of cellulose to glucose could be obtained from dense substrate suspensions (up to at least 200 g/L).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)173-183
Number of pages11
JournalApplied Biochemistry and Biotechnology
Volume27
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 1991

Keywords

  • Aspergillus niger
  • Clostridium thermocellum
  • Novozym
  • cellobiase
  • cellulase
  • cellulose
  • cellulosome
  • solubilization of
  • β-glucosidase

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