Cellodextrins are created through the cleavage of cellulose in most
anaerobic bacteria by the
cellulosome (an amalgamation of
cellulolytic enzymes on the outside of a cell). An
endoglucanase first cuts the crystalline cellulose in an amorphous zone and exoglucanases subsequently
cleave these large insoluble chunks of cellulose into smaller, soluble cellodextrins which can be used by the cell. Many cellulolytic bacteria use cellodextrins as their primary source of energy. The energy is obtained through the phosphorolytic cleavage of
glycosidic bonds as well as the anaerobic
glycolysis of the glucose monomers. Transport of cellodextrins across the
cell membrane is usually an active process, requiring
ATP. ==See also==