An enzyme that breaks down cellulose into simpler sugars that living things can use for food or energy.
From cellulose + -ase (enzyme suffix). The -ase suffix is used for all enzymes; cellulase was named following the standard enzyme naming convention established in early biochemistry.
Cellulase is nature's secret scissors—without it, nothing could digest grass, wood, or plants, so termites, cows, and bacteria all hire it as a contractor. Scientists are now engineering super-cellulases to turn plastic waste into fuel, making an ancient enzyme a hero for the future.
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