1. Summary
Crystalline cellulase has been electrochemically oxidized to yield preparations containing various different percentages of oxidized end‐groups. These celluloses have been used as carbon sources for growth and cellulase production by Trichoderma reesei. A low content of oxidized end groups in the celluloses (0.1–0.65%) stimulated cellulase production but not growth, whereas higher contents (> 1%) where inhibitory to both. The cellulolytic enzyme system secreted under stimulated conditions contained the same proportion of individual cellulase enzymes (cellobiohydrolase I and II, endoglucanase I) as the control, indicating a general stimulatory effect of oxidized cellulose. Activity of cellulases against oxidized celluloses in vitro was not stimulated, and only slightly inhibitory at high degrees of oxidation. The data support a potential role of cellulose oxidation in regulating cellulase formation by T. reesei.