Enzymes and Low Molecular Agents In view of the historical development of the research on wood degration by fungi, this chapter starts with the enzymes invoiveti in the de woody cell Null, although it is now commonly accepted that non-enzymatic low molecular weight metabolites are involved as precursors and / or co-agentswith enzymatic cell wall degradation. Under the conditions within microbial cells, namely an aqueous environment with pH values around 6 and temperatures of I -50"C, most reactions would run off only very slowly. Enzymes reduce the amount of the necessary activation energy as biocatalysts and control the reaction by substrate and effect specificity. More than 3,000 enzymes are described. Comparable with the lock/key principle, enzymes possess an active center, into which the substrate must fit, and which thus controls the conversion of the correct substrate (substrate specificity). The protein portion of the enzyme decides on the way
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