cellobiose

[sel-oh-bahy-ohs]

noun

1. a white, crystalline, water-soluble disaccharide, C 12 H 22 O 11 , that is obtained by the breakdown of cellulose or lichenin and yields glucose upon hydrolysis: used chiefly in bacteriology as a reagent.

cellobiose

/ ˈsɛləʊz, ˌsɛləʊˈbaɪəʊz /

noun

1. a disaccharide obtained by the hydrolysis of cellulose by cellulase. Formula: C 12 H 22 O 11

Word History and Origins

Origin of cellobiose¹

First recorded in 1900–05; cell(ulose) + -o- + bi- ² + -ose ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of cellobiose¹

C20: from _cellulose + _bi- ¹ + _-ose ²

Example Sentences

The team's most recent study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, describes the molecular process by which cellobiose -- a two-sugar fragment of cellulose that is made during cellulose deconstruction -- can clog up the pipeline and interfere with subsequent cellulose breakdown.

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"We aren't exactly sure how the enzyme threads the glucose chain to the tunnel or what exactly goes on inside, but we knew from previous studies that the product that comes out the back door, cellobiose, can interfere with the processing of subsequent cellulose molecules. Now, we know more about how it is interfering."

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Within the tunnel, Cel7A chops up cellulose -- which has repeating units of glucose -- into two-sugar cellobiose fragments.

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The researchers found that cellobiose in solution can bind to the "back door" of the tunnel, which can slow down the exit of subsequent cellobiose molecules as it essentially blocks the way.

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"Because cellobiose is so similar to cellulose, it's maybe not surprising that the little pieces can get into the tunnel," Hancock said.

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