Hydrolysis of cotton cellulose by Exo- and endo-type cellulases from Irpex lacteus: differential scanning calorimetric study.

Abstract

The mode of hydrolysis of cotton cellulose by two highly purified exo- and endo-type cellulases from Irpex lacteus was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, to measure changes in the size of the amorphous region in cotton fibers with the enzymatic reaction. The cellulases induced entirely different changes in the size of the amorphous region, particularly at earlier stages of reaction. Exo-type cellulase gradually reduced the amorphous region with release of cellobiose from the initial stage of hydrolysis, but began to increase the amorphous region at more advanced stages of hydrolysis. By contrast, endo-type cellulase caused no liberation of reducing sugar at the initial stage of hydrolysis but caused a sharp increase in the amorphous region, and it thereafter caused a rapid decrease of the amorphous region, accompanied with the production of various kinds of cellooligosaccharides. The rate of size reduction of the amorphous region caused by endo-type cellulase was much higher than that by exo-type cellulase. Convergence of the decrease in the size of amorphous region during hydrolysis by endo-type cellulase is followed by the increase in this region being influenced by further hydrolysis of remained crystalline region. Substantial changes in the morphology of cotton occurred with the two cellulases after the hydrolysis stages at which the size of the amorphous region was minimum.