Anatomy of a Microscopic Wood Chipper
Thursday, December 10, 2015 - 13:38
in Physics & Chemistry
Meet TrCel7a (pronounced tee-are-cell-seven-a). TrCel7a is a cellulase: a special enzyme that breaks down cellulose, the most plentiful natural polymer on the planet. The enzyme works like a microscopic wood chipper. It swallows strands of tightly bound cellulose and breaks them down into simple sugars. It works very slowly but, like a truck operating at a very low gear, it is extremely difficult to stop once it gets going.