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Cationic polyacrylamides (c-PAMs) increase the binding of cellulase to cellulose and of α-amylase to cornstarch. The c-PAMs increase the rate of hydrolysis of both substrates by about the same amount, which suggests that the increased binding is responsible for the enhanced rates. These results support our proposed mechanism where the c-PAM neutralizes the charge of the substrate through a "patching" mechanism, which reduces the charge repulsion between fiber and enzyme., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Adding a cationic polyacrylamide (c-PAM) to either the amylase mediated hydrolysis of corn starch or the hydrolysis of wood fiber by cellulase can enhance the initial hydrolysis rates, although a rate decrease can occur under some conditions. Several c-PAMs can serve as catalysts and the same c-PAM can improve the efficiency of both amylase and cellulase. The initial amylase rate approximately doubles; the analogous cellulase hydrolysis rate increases by about 40%. c-PAMs increase the binding of enzyme to substrate.