CelAB, a multifunctional cellulase encoded by Teredinibacter turnerae T7902T, a culturable symbiont isolated from the wood-boring marine bivalve Lyrodus pedicellatus

We characterized a multifunctional cellulase (CelAB) encoded by the endosymbiont Teredinibacter turnerae T7902(T). CelAB contains two catalytic and two carbohydrate-binding domains, each separated by polyserine linker regions. CelAB binds cellulose and chitin, degrades multiple complex polysaccharides, and displays two catalytic activities, cellobiohydrolase (EC 3.2.1.91) and beta-1,4(3) endoglucanase (EC 3.2.1.4).