Substrate heterogeneity causes the nonlinear kinetics of insoluble cellulose hydrolysis

Changes in the enzymatic hydrolysis rate of Avicel cellulose with conversion

The slow down in enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose with conversion has often been attributed to declining reactivity of the substrate as the more easily reacted material is thought to be consumed preferentially. To better understand the cause of this phenomenon, the enzymatic reaction of the nearly pure cellulose in Avicel was interrupted over the course of nearly complete hydrolysis. Then, the solids were treated with proteinase to degrade the cellulase enzymes remaining on the solid surface, followed by proteinase inhibitors to inactive the proteinase and successive washing with water, 1.0 M NaCl solution, and water. Next, fresh cellulase and buffer were added to the solids to restart hydrolysis. The rate of cellulose hydrolysis, expressed as a percent of substrate remaining at that time, was approximately constant over a wide range of conversions for restart experiments but declined continually with conversion for uninterrupted hydrolysis. Furthermore, the cellulose hydrolysis rate per adsorbed enzyme was approximately constant for the restart procedure but declined with conversion when enzymes were left to react. Thus, the drop off in reaction rate for uninterrupted cellulose digestion by enzymes could not be attributed to changes in substrate reactivity, suggesting that other effects such as enzymes getting "stuck" or otherwise slowing down may be responsible.

A functionally based model for hydrolysis of cellulose by fungal cellulase

A new functionally based kinetic model for enzymatic hydrolysis of pure cellulose by the Trichoderma cellulase system is presented. The model represents the actions of cellobiohydrolases I, cellobiohydrolase II, and endoglucanase I; and incorporates two measurable and physically interpretable substrate parameters: the degree of polymerization (DP) and the fraction of beta-glucosidic bonds accessible to cellulase, F(a) (Zhang and Lynd, 2004). Initial enzyme-limited reaction rates simulated by the model are consistent with several important behaviors reported in the literature, including the effects of substrate characteristics on exoglucanase and endoglucanase activities; the degree of endo/exoglucanase synergy; the endoglucanase partition coefficient on hydrolysis rates; and enzyme loading on relative reaction rates for different substrates. This is the first cellulase kinetic model involving a single set of kinetic parameters that is successfully applied to a variety of cellulosic substrates, and the first that describes more than one behavior associated with enzymatic hydrolysis. The model has potential utility for data accommodation and design of industrial processes, structuring, testing, and extending understanding of cellulase enzyme systems when experimental date are available, and providing guidance for functional design of cellulase systems at a molecular scale. Opportunities to further refine cellulase kinetic models are discussed, including parameters that would benefit from further study.

Surface character of pulp fibres studied using endoglucanases

The endoglucanase Cel5A from Trichoderma reesei and an endoglucanase from Aspergillus sp. (Novozym 476 from Novozyme A/S) were evaluated as probes for the surface properties of soft- and hardwood chemical pulp fibres. The hydrolysis time curves were in accordance with a two-phase degradation model described by a biexponential function. The kinetic parameters corresponding to the amount of fast and slow degraded parts of the substrate correlated to tensile index, relative bonded area and z-strength of the paper. All paper properties showing a correlation with enzyme kinetic parameters were related to fibre-fibre interactions. Fluorescence labelling of the reducing end groups in pulp fibres followed by enzyme treatment indicated that the fast substrate class corresponds to the population of "loose" cellulose chain ends not tightly associated with the bulk cellulose. The correlation between the parameters of enzyme kinetics and mechanical properties of the paper produced from the corresponding pulp found in this study should allow a rapid evaluation of the raw fibre material used in paper making process.

Toward an aggregated understanding of enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose: noncomplexed cellulase systems

Information pertaining to enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose by noncomplexed cellulase enzyme systems is reviewed with a particular emphasis on development of aggregated understanding incorporating substrate features in addition to concentration and multiple cellulase components. Topics considered include properties of cellulose, adsorption, cellulose hydrolysis, and quantitative models. A classification scheme is proposed for quantitative models for enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose based on the number of solubilizing activities and substrate state variables included. We suggest that it is timely to revisit and reinvigorate functional modeling of cellulose hydrolysis, and that this would be highly beneficial if not necessary in order to bring to bear the large volume of information available on cellulase components on the primary applications that motivate interest in the subject.

Inhibition of the Trichoderma reesei cellulases by cellobiose is strongly dependent on the nature of the substrate

The inhibition effect of cellobiose on the initial stage of hydrolysis when cellobiohydrolase Cel 7A and endoglucanases Cel 7B, Cel 5A, and Cel 12A from Trichoderma reesei were acting on bacterial cellulose and amorphous cellulose that were [(3)H]- labeled at the reducing end was quantified. The apparent competitive inhibition constant (K(i)) for Cel 7A on [(3)H]-bacterial cellulose was found to be 1.6 +/- 0.5 mM, 100-fold higher than that for Cel 7A acting on low-molecular-weight model substrates. The hydrolysis of [(3)H]-amorphous cellulose by endoglucanases was even less affected by cellobiose inhibition with apparent K(i) values of 11 +/- 3 mM and 34 +/- 6 mM for Cel 7B and Cel 5A, respectively. Contrary to the case for the other enzymes studied, the release of radioactive label by Cel 12A was stimulated by cellobiose, possibly due to a more pronounced transglycosylating activity. Theoretical analysis of the inhibition of Cel 7A by cellobiose predicted an inhibition analogous to that of mixed type with two limiting cases, competitive inhibition if the prevalent enzyme-substrate complex without inhibitor is productive and conventional mixed type when the prevalent enzyme-substrate complex is nonproductive.

Quantitative estimate of the effect of cellulase components during degradation of cotton fibers

A comprehensive mechanistic kinetic model for enzymatic degradation of cotton fibers has been established based on a complete factorial experiment in combination with multivariate stepwise regression analysis. The analysis of the statistical parameter value in the model suggests that the enzymatic degradation of cotton fiber is a progressive and heterogeneous process that includes, at least, two courses that occur sequentially and then progress in parallel. Cellulose fibers were first depolymerized or solubilized by the synergism between cellobiohydrolase I (CBHI) and endoglucanase I (EGI), and then the oligomers obtained were randomly hydrolyzed into glucose by EGI and beta-glucosidase. The proposed model can be applied to the quantitative estimation of the effects of three cellulase components, CBHI, EGI, and beta-glucosidase separately, or in combination during the entire process of cellulose degradation. The validity of the proposed model has been verified by a filter paper activity assay. Its other applicability was also discussed.

Studies ofThermobifida fusca plant cell wall degrading enzymes

I have been studying the Thermobifida fusca cellulose degrading proteins for the past 25 years. In this period, we have purified and characterized the six extracellular cellulases and an intracellular beta- glucosidase used by T. fusca for cellulose degradation, cloned and sequenced the structural genes encoding these enzymes, and helped to determine the 3-dimensional structures of two of the cellulase catalytic domains. This research determined the mechanism of a novel class of cellulase, family 9 processive endoglucanases, and helped to show that there were two types of exocellulases, ones that attacked the non-reducing ends of cellulose and ones that attacked the reducing ends. It also led to the sequencing of the T. fusca genome by the DOE Joint Genome Institute. We have studied the mechanisms that regulate T. fusca cellulases and have shown that cellobiose is the inducer and that cellulase synthesis is repressed by any good carbon source. A regulatory protein (CelR) that functions in the induction control has been purified, characterized, and its structural gene cloned and expressed in E. coli. I have also carried out research on two rumen bacteria, Prevotella ruminicola and Fibrobacter succinogenes, in collaboration with Professor James Russell, helping to arrange for the genomes of these two organisms to be sequenced by TIGR, funded by a USDA grant to the North American Consortium for Genomics of Fibrolytic Ruminal Biology.

Microbial cellulose utilization: fundamentals and biotechnology

Fundamental features of microbial cellulose utilization are examined at successively higher levels of aggregation encompassing the structure and composition of cellulosic biomass, taxonomic diversity, cellulase enzyme systems, molecular biology of cellulase enzymes, physiology of cellulolytic microorganisms, ecological aspects of cellulase-degrading communities, and rate-limiting factors in nature. The methodological basis for studying microbial cellulose utilization is considered relative to quantification of cells and enzymes in the presence of solid substrates as well as apparatus and analysis for cellulose-grown continuous cultures. Quantitative description of cellulose hydrolysis is addressed with respect to adsorption of cellulase enzymes, rates of enzymatic hydrolysis, bioenergetics of microbial cellulose utilization, kinetics of microbial cellulose utilization, and contrasting features compared to soluble substrate kinetics. A biological perspective on processing cellulosic biomass is presented, including features of pretreated substrates and alternative process configurations. Organism development is considered for "consolidated bioprocessing" (CBP), in which the production of cellulolytic enzymes, hydrolysis of biomass, and fermentation of resulting sugars to desired products occur in one step. Two organism development strategies for CBP are examined: (i) improve product yield and tolerance in microorganisms able to utilize cellulose, or (ii) express a heterologous system for cellulose hydrolysis and utilization in microorganisms that exhibit high product yield and tolerance. A concluding discussion identifies unresolved issues pertaining to microbial cellulose utilization, suggests approaches by which such issues might be resolved, and contrasts a microbially oriented cellulose hydrolysis paradigm to the more conventional enzymatically oriented paradigm in both fundamental and applied contexts.