Cellulase is any one of a number of enzymes produced mainly by fungi, bacteria, and some protozoans, which catalyze the decomposition of cellulose and other polysaccharides found in plant, animal, and human cells. Sigma-Aldrich is a major producer of cellulase in Germany. These enzymes are used for commercial food processing in coffee and in textile industry and in laundry detergents.
Cellulase can be produced by various enzymes and not just by fungi. Some plants, for example, contain cellulase. Fungi that do not produce cellulase are an exception. It is also possible for some non-spores to contain cellulase, such as green algae. All living organisms contain cellulase and it is produced by all forms of these organisms. When there is decay in the cell wall of plant cells and cellulose is the material that is broken down, cellulase is produced by some fungi. In the case of microorganisms that do not produce cellulase, some form of it must be produced by the bacteria that consume it. In both cases, when the concentration of cellulase in the cyst forms rises above the level at which it can perform its catalytic function, a reaction occurs that leads to the formation of a cellulose cyst. In other words, the bacteria are breaking down something that they need for life, and in the process they release an organic compound that in both cases is highly reactive.
Fungi that are important in degrading cellulose and other polysaccharides are those that live in the colon and the intestines of animals. If the colon and the intestines are infested with a wide variety of pathogens that do not produce cellulase, these will be drawn into the intestine where they also find their food, and there they multiply rapidly feeding on the undigested cells within the colon and the intestines. The result is that the animals begin to form large, solid masses of undigested material which is eventually absorbed into the bloodstream.
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