The action of cellulolytic enzymes from Myrothecium verrucaria

Although an extensive literature is available describing cell-free cellulolytic preparations which attack soluble cellulose derivatives, there is a dearth of information on the enzymic breakdown of insoluble cellulose, and virtually nothing is known about the breakdown of undegraded cellulose of the type associated with native cotton fibres [For reviews see Siu (1951), Halliwell (1959)]. Despite the failure of cell-free preparations made from them to attack undegraded cellulose, truly cellulolytic organisms can quantitatively transform all types of cellulose, undegraded or otherwise, to soluble products.