Kinetic Analysis of Cellobiohydrolase: Quantification of Enzymatic Reaction at a Solid/Liquid Interface Applying the Concept of Surface Density

Abstract

In nature, crystalline cellulose is mainly degraded by cellobiohydrolases (CBHs) produced by various microorganisms. Since both substrate and enzymatic features relate to the reaction and the reaction proceeds at a solid/liquid interface, it is quite difficult to perform the quantitative analysis of CBH. In the present study, we estimate the surface area of crystalline celluloses by the adsorption maxima (A_max) of CBH, the specific activity of CBH (k=v/A) was plotted versus surface density (ρ=A/A_max) to adjust for the difference of surface area, and quantify the reaction rate of CBH. The results obtained from the approach indicate that the feature of crystalline cellulose greatly affects the reaction of CBH.