The developmental patterns of endo-β-1,4-glucanase and β-glucosidase of Chaetomium erraticum
The present investigation deals with the production of extracellular and intracellular endoglucanase and β-glucosidase enzymes and the study of their multiple molecular forms in Chaetomium erraticum. When C. erraticum was grown on carboxymethyl cellulose as the sole carbon source, more than 90% of the endoglucanase was extracellular, while most of the β-glucosidase was intracellular. However, the relative distribution of these enzymes varied with the age of the culture. Two forms of each of endoglucanase (EG-I, EG-II) and β-glucosidase (βGlu-I, βGlu-II) were detected after 4 and 6 days of incubation, respectively. Additional intracellular forms of endoglucanase and β-glucosidase i.e., EG-III and βGlu-III, appeared at later stages, when perithecia developed, indicating that EG-III and βGlu-III are related to the development of perithecia. These multiple molecular forms were further differentiated by their response to temperature, pH, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and metal ions.