cellulase

[ sel-yuh-leys, -leyz ]

noun

, Biochemistry.

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

cellulase

/ ˈsɛljʊˌleɪz /

noun

1. any enzyme that converts cellulose to the disaccharide cellobiose

cellulase

/ 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cellulase¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of cellulase¹

C20: from cellulose + -ase

Example Sentences

A cellulase from the symbiotic intestinal flagellates of termites and of the roach, Cryptocercus punctulatus.

From Project Gutenberg