Assimilation in Soft Rot Erwinias: Cellobiose Pathway

Abstract

The main product of cellulose degradation by Erwinia chrysanthemi is a β-glucoside: cellobiose. In most organisms its utilization has been studied in conjunction with that of two aryl β-glucosides, arbutin and salicin, which share with cellobiose the peculiarity to yield glucose as the only sugar after hydrolysis. Since the endo- and exocellulases which break cellulose down are operating outside the cell, the produced cellobiose must be taken into the cell.