Bridging the Micro-Macro Gap between Single-Molecular Behavior and Bulk Hydrolysis Properties of Cellulase

Takahiro Ezaki (Corresponding Author), Katsuhiro Nishinari, Masahiro Samejima, Kiyohiko Igarashi (Corresponding Author)

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

    3 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The microscopic kinetics of enzymes at the single-molecule level often deviate considerably from those expected from bulk biochemical experiments. Here, we propose a coarse-grained-model approach to bridge this gap, focusing on the unexpectedly slow bulk hydrolysis of crystalline cellulose by cellulase, which constitutes a major obstacle to mass production of biofuels and biochemicals. Building on our previous success in tracking the movements of single molecules of cellulase on crystalline cellulose, we develop a mathematical description of the collective motion and function of enzyme molecules hydrolyzing the surface of cellulose. Model simulations robustly explained the experimental findings at both the microscopic and macroscopic levels and revealed a hitherto-unknown mechanism causing a considerable slowdown of the reaction, which we call the crowding-out effect. The size of the cellulase molecule impacted significantly on the collective dynamics, whereas the rate of molecular motion on the surface did not.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number098102
    Number of pages5
    JournalPhysical Review Letters
    Volume122
    Issue number9
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 7 Mar 2019
    MoE publication typeNot Eligible

    Keywords

    • Biochemistry
    • Biomolecular processes
    • Chemical kinetics

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Bridging the Micro-Macro Gap between Single-Molecular Behavior and Bulk Hydrolysis Properties of Cellulase'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this