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To understand the superior hydrolytic activity after polymorphic conversion from cellulose I to II from the adsorption behaviors of enzymes

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Abstract

The role of the cellulose ultrastructure on the relationship between cellulase binding and activity is not clear yet. In this article, a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) was employed to monitor the interactions between a given cellulase and the cellulose substrates with varied polymorphs of pure cellulose I and II and the intermediate state (I/II). Initially, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) with polymorphs of cellulose I, I/II and II were prepared and spin-coated on QCM sensors. The cellulose substrates’ crystallinity degree was examined by XRD, and morphology was detected by AFM. Then, a commercial cellulase from Trichoderma reesei was used to test the adsorption and hydrolysis of cellulose substrates with polymorphs of I, I/II and II, respectively. The results revealed that in the enzyme adsorption and desorption process at a temperature of 15 °C, CNC-II had the lowest adsorption capacity with a total adsorption mass of 179 ng cm−2 but the highest reversible binding ratio of 33.7%; for comparison, the values were 235 ng cm−2 versus 25.6% and 207 ng cm−2 versus 26.9% for CNC-I and -I/II, respectively. And the conformation of adlayers on CNC-I, -I/II and -II derived from the QCM data became softer and softer in turn. On the other hand, CNC-II exhibited the best enzymatic hydrolytic ability among three substrates when enzymatic hydrolysis experiments were conducted at 45 °C. The results indicated that polymorphic conversion from I to II changes the affinity between the enzyme and cellulose surface; CNC-II has the lowest affinity to the enzyme, but the softer conformation of the adsorbed enzyme layer, and the more reversible adsorption may facilitate its hydrolytic activity. This article gives a perspective from the adsorption dynamics and conformation of the adsorbed enzyme layer, helping to understand the superior hydrolytic activity of cellulose with polymorph II. Thus, there is a potential of polymorphic conversion in the reduction of enzyme dosage and cost in the enzymatic hydrolysis process.

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Acknowledgments

This project was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 31270613, 31470593, 31370571), Six Talent Projects (2015-JNHB-013) and Qing-Lan Projects in Jiangsu Province, and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resource, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China

    Ersuo Jin, Yu Zhang, Fanghui Hu, Fang Yang, Shufang Wu, Yongcan Jin & Junlong Song

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  1. Ersuo Jin
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  2. Yu Zhang
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  3. Fanghui Hu
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  4. Fang Yang
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  5. Shufang Wu
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  6. Yongcan Jin
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  7. Junlong Song
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Correspondence to Junlong Song.

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Jin, E., Zhang, Y., Hu, F. et al. To understand the superior hydrolytic activity after polymorphic conversion from cellulose I to II from the adsorption behaviors of enzymes. Cellulose 24, 1371–1381 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-016-1183-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-016-1183-8

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