Inhibition of Trichoderma reesei cellulase by sugars and solvents

Inhibition of Trichoderma reesei cellulase by sugars (glucose, delta-gluconolactone, and cellobiose) and solvents (ethanol, butanol, and acetone) was studied using cellulose azure. Glucose, cellobiose, ethanol, and butanol were noncompetitive inhibitors, delta-gluconolactone was a mixed inhibitor, and acetone was a noncompetitive activator. Converting cellobiose to glucose reduces the effective inhibitor binding constant by 6 times and converting cellobiose to ethanol reduces it by 16 times.