The cellulolytic enzymes of Botryodiplodia theobromae Pat. Separation and characterization of cellulases and beta-glucosidases.

1. Filtrates from cultures of different ages of Botryodiplodia theobromae Pat. were fractionated by gel filtration, ion-exchange chromatography and polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. 2. Five cellulases (C1, C2, C3, C4 and C5) were found, and their molecular weights, estimated by gel filtration, were 46000-48000 (C1), 30000-35000 (C2), 15000-18000 (C3), 10000-11000 (C4) and 4800-5500 (C5). 3. Cellulase C5 was absent from old culture filtrates. 4. Cellulase C1 had little or no activity on CM-cellulose (viscometric assay), but degraded cotton flock and Whatman cellulose powder to give cellobiose only. 5. The other components (C2-C5) produced cellobiose and smaller amounts of glucose and cellotriose from cellulosic substrates and were more active in lowering the viscosity of CM-cellulose. 6. The ratio of activities assayed by viscometry and by the release of reducing sugars from CM-cellulose increased with decrease in the molecular weights of cellulases C2-C5. 7. Cellobiose inhibited the activities of the cellulases, but glucose stimulated at low concentrations although it inhibited at high concentrations. 8. A high-molecular-weight beta-glucosidase (component B1, mol.wt. 350000-380000) predominated in filtrates from young cultures, but a low-molecular-weight enzyme (B4, mol.wt. 45000-47000) predominated in older filtrates. 9. Intermediate molecular species of beta-glucosidase (B2, mol.wt. 170000-180000; B3, mol.wt. 83000-87000) were also found. 10. Cellulases C2-C5 acted in synergism with C1, particularly in the presence of beta-glucosidase.