Summary
The mode of action of the cellulolytic enzymes of two strong cellulose decomposing fungi, Penicillium oxalicum Curie et Thom and Helminthosporium cyclops Drechsler, was studied. The culture filtrates and enzyme preparations obtained from them showed high cellulase activity and very weak cellobiase activity. The cellulolytic system of both experimental organisms seems to be multicomponent. The cellulase component showed its activity mainly extracellulary and the cellobiase component, mainly intracellulary. It seems, therefore, that during growth of both fungi on a cellulose medium, the extracellular cellulase acts hydrolytically on the cellulose substrate forming cellobiose which is further acted upon by intracellular cellobiase to form glucose. Paper chromatographic assay of the products of the enzymatic reaction sub-stantiated this conclusion.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature
Boswell, J. G.: Biochem. J. 32, 31 (1938).
Festenstein, G. N.: Biol. 72, No. 1 (1959).
Grassman, W., R. Stadler and R. Bender: Annalen, 502, cited in:J. Gascoigne and M. Gascoigne. Biological degradation Butterworths, London 1960.
Hash, J., and K. King. Science 120, 1033 (1954).
Hussain, A.: Phytopath. 48, 338 (1958).
Kooiman, P., P. Roelofsen and S. Sweeris: Enzymologia 16, 237 (1953).
Pringsheim, M.: Hoppe-Seylers Z. physiol. Chem. 78, 266–291 (1912).
Reese, E. T.: Appl. Microbiol. 4, 39 (1956).
Reese, E. T., and R. G. H. Siu: Canad. Microbiol. 5, 173–185 (1959).
Reese, E. T., M. Mandel and H. S. Levinson: J. Bact. 59, 485 (1950).
Taha, E. M.: Harnsäure oxydierende Fermente aus Schimmelpilzen. Dissertation der philosophischen Fakultät der Universität Köln (1952).
Taha, E. M., and A. A. Abuzied: Egypt. J. Chem. (in press) (1962).
Walker, E., and F. L. Warren: Biochem. J. 32, 31 (1938).
Winogradsky, S.: Ann. Inst. Pasteur 34, 549 (1929).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Taha, E.E.M., Abuzied, A.A. On the mode of action of fungal cellulases. Archiv. Mikrobiol. 44, 240–245 (1962). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00510944
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00510944