The scientists also studied parts of the enzyme called the carbohydrate binding molecule — a sticky "foot" that helps the enzymes find and guide the cellulose into their active site — and the linker region, which joins the foot to the main body of the enzyme. The carbohydrate binding molecule and linker region were long thought to play a minor role in enzyme function; yet without them, the enzyme can't convert cellulose to glucose effectively. The researchers wondered why that is.