cellulase

American  

[sel-yuh-leys, -leyz] / ˈsɛl yəˌleɪs, -ˌleɪz /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. any of several enzymes, produced primarily by fungi and bacteria, that catalyze the hydrolysis of cellulose.

---

cellulase British  

/ ˈsɛljʊˌleɪz /

noun

1. any enzyme that converts cellulose to the disaccharide cellobiose

---

cellulase Scientific  

/ sĕl′yə-lās′ /

1. Any of several enzymes produced chiefly by fungi, bacteria, and protozoans that catalyze the breakdown of cellulose. Protozoans in the guts of termites produce the cellulase needed for the termites to digest wood.

---

Etymology

Origin of cellulase

First recorded in 1900–05; cellul(ose) + -ase

Example Sentences

The researchers specifically studied the effect of a fungal cellulase enzyme called Cel7A.

From Science Daily • May 7, 2024

To slow down the ripening process at home, you can just toss it in the fridge, delaying its production of cellulase.

From Slate • Aug. 19, 2023

An inactive form of cellulase in human digestive tract renders it undigested and removes it as waste.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

He would use cellulase in his artificial goat rumen.

From The New Yorker • May 23, 2016

In such cases, the parasite secretes both a pectose-dissolving enzyme, known as "pectase" and a "cellulase" which attacks the cell-wall material in order to provide for the entry of the fungus into the cells.

From The Chemistry of Plant Life by Thatcher, Roscoe Wilfred