cellulolytic

American  

[sel-yuh-loh-lit-ik] / ˌsɛl yə loʊˈlɪt ɪk /

adjective

Biochemistry.

1. (of bacteria or enzymes) capable of hydrolyzing cellulose.

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Etymology

Origin of cellulolytic

First recorded in 1940–45; cellul(ose) + -o- + -lytic

Example Sentences

We found that the hamadryas baboon has more so-called cellulolytic microbes—which break down plant cell walls—than the olive baboon does, in keeping with its higher-fiber diet.

From Scientific American

“I’m not convinced at all that there's any limitation to the cellulolytic activity in this system based upon the data they have,” Eisen says of the new study.

From Nature

The 2-keto-acid pathway has also been engineered in Corynebacterium glutamicum, a bacterium known for its high amino-acid production; S. cerevisiae, in which the endogenous 2-ketoisovalerate biosynthetic pathway was upregulated and localized to the cytosol; Clostridium acetobutylicum, a cellulolytic bacterium that produces isobutanol directly from crystalline cellulose through consolidated bioprocessing; S.elongatus, a photosynthetic bacterium; and engineered to metabolize protein-rich substrates such as the potentially abundant feedstock algal hydrolysate.

From Nature