The tertiary structure of a bacterial cellulase determined by small-angle X-ray-scattering analysis

Abstract

CenA from Cellulomonas fimi is a β-1,4-endoglucanase that binds tightly to cellulse X-ray-scattering analyses show that the enzyme is tadpole-shaped: the previously identified catalytic and cellulose-binding domains comprise the head and tail respectively. It appears that this structural and functional organization is common to several cellulases from bacteria and fungi.