Conversion of a Carboxylesterase into a Triacylglycerol Lipase by a Random Mutation

摘要

Lipases and esterases are enzymes of increasing importance for classical and new industrial applications.The most significant properties of these enzymes are that they are very stable and active,especially in organic solvents,and they possess regio-and stereospecificity. Esterases(also called carboxylesterases,EC 3.1.1.1)preferentially hydrolyze water-soluble "simple" esters and usually only triglycerides bearing fatty acids shorter than C_6,whereas lipases(also known as triacylglycerol Upases,EC 3.1.1.3)prefer water-insoluble substrates,typically triglycerides composed of long-chain fatty acids.Despite their close relationship in sequence and structure,these enzymes differ in their profile for chain-length specificity.