Progress curves--a mean for functional classification of cellulases.

The chain-end preference and processivity of the cellulases 1,4-beta-D-glucan-cellobiohydrolase I (CBH I) and 1,4-beta-D-glucan-cellobiohydrolase II (CBH II) from Trichoderma reesei and 1,4-beta-D-glucan-cellobiohydrolase 50 (CBH 50) and 1,4-beta-D-glucan-cellobiohydrolase 58 (CBH 58) from Phanerochaete chrysosporium were studied by comparing experimental degradation data on reducing end-labelled bacterial microcrystalline cellulose with computer simulations of different models. Our results with T. reesei and P. chrysosporium cellulases show that there is a common pattern of hydrolysis for CBH-I-type enzymes and another clearly distinguishable pattern for CBH-II-type enzymes, especially in the initial part of the progress curve.