Department of Chemistry, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1 Canada.
Langmuir. 2010 Apr 6;26(7):5007-13. doi: 10.1021/la9037028.
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to study native cellulose films prepared from a bacterial cellulose source, Acetobacter xylinum, using a novel application of the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. These films allowed high-resolution AFM images of single fibers and their microfibril structure to be obtained. Two types of experiments were performed. First, the fibers were characterized using samples that were dried after LB deposition. Next, novel protocols that allowed us to image single fibers of cellulose in films that were never dried were developed. This procedure allowed us to perform in situ AFM imaging studies of the enzymatic hydrolysis of single cellulose fibers in solution using cellulolytic enzymes. The in situ degradation of cellulose fibers was monitored over a 9 h period using AFM. These studies provided the first direct, real-time images of the enzymatic degradation of a single cellulose fiber. We have demonstrated the tremendous potential of AFM to study the mechanism of the enzymatic digestion of cellulose and to identify the most effective enzymes for the digestion of various cellulose structures or isomorphs.
原子力显微镜（AFM）用于研究从细菌纤维素来源醋酸杆菌中制备的天然纤维素薄膜，使用Langmuir-Blodgett 技术的新应用。这些薄膜允许获得单纤维及其微纤维结构的高分辨率 AFM 图像。进行了两种类型的实验。首先，使用 LB 沉积后干燥的样品对纤维进行了表征。接下来，开发了新的方案，允许我们对从未干燥的薄膜中的单个纤维素纤维进行成像。该程序允许我们使用纤维素酶在溶液中对单个纤维素纤维的酶水解进行原位 AFM 成像研究。使用 AFM 监测纤维素纤维在 9 小时内的原位降解。这些研究提供了单个纤维素纤维酶解的直接实时图像的首例。我们已经证明了 AFM 在研究纤维素的酶消化机制以及鉴定最有效的酶以消化各种纤维素结构或同型物方面具有巨大的潜力。
