A thermostable variant of P. aeruginosa cold-adapted LipC obtained by rational design and saturation mutagenesis

Cold-adapted Pseudomonas aeruginosa LipC is a secreted lipase showing differential properties compared to its well-known counterpart LipA. LipC is fundamentally a cold-acting lipase, capable of tolerating high concentrations of ions and heavy metals, and showing a shift in substrate specificity when incubated at higher temperatures. These properties make LipC an interesting enzyme, well suited for biotechnological or environmental applications, where activity at low temperatures would be required. However, a relatively low thermal resistance constitutes the main drawback for using this enzyme in long-term operational processes. To overcome the lability of LipC, we developed a rational design system to modify specific sites on the enzyme structure to obtain an improved variant of the lipase bearing higher thermal stability, but without loss of its cold-adapted properties. Eight mutant libraries plus two point mutations were constructed affecting those amino acids showing the highest flexibility on the 3D model structure. After screening more than 3000 mutant clones, a LipC variant bearing two amino acid changes and the required thermostability and cold-adapted properties was obtained. The new variant D2_H8, with a 7-fold increased thermal stability in comparison to wild type LipC, will guarantee the use and maintenance of such a lipase in a number of processes being performed at low (4–20 °C) temperatures.     

A new alkaline lipase obtained from the metagenome of marine sponge <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ircinia</Emphasis> sp.

Microorganisms associated with marine sponges are potential resources for marine enzymes. In this study, culture-independent metagenomic approach was used to isolate lipases from the complex microbiome of the sponge Ircinia sp. obtained from the South China Sea. A metagenomic library was constructed, containing 6568 clones, and functional screening on 1 % tributyrin agar resulted in the identification of a positive lipase clone (35F4). Following sequence analysis 35F4 clone was found to contain a putative lipase gene lipA. Sequence analysis of the predicted amino acid sequence of LipA revealed that it is a member of subfamily I.1 of lipases, with 63 % amino acid similarity to the lactonizing lipase from Aeromonas veronii (WP_021231793). Based on the predicted secondary structure, LipA was predicted to be an alkaline enzyme by sequence/structure analysis. Heterologous expression of lipA in E. coli BL21 (DE3) was performed and the characterization of the recombinant enzyme LipA showed that it is an alkaline enzyme with high tolerance to organic solvents. The isolated lipase LipA was active in the broad alkaline range, with the highest activity at pH 9.0, and had a high level of stability over a pH range of 7.0–12.0. The activity of LipA was increased in the presence of 5 mM Ca²⁺ and some organic solvents, e.g. methanol, acetone and isopropanol. The optimum temperature for the activity of LipA is 40 °C and the molecular weight of LipA was determined to be ~30 kDa by SDS-PAGE. LipA is an alkaline lipase and shows good tolerance to some organic solvents, which make it of potential utility in the detergent industry and enzyme mediated organic synthesis. The result of this study has broadened the diversity of known lipolytic genes and demonstrated that marine sponges are an important source for new enzymes.     

Isolation and characterization of Bacillus sp. BP-6 LipA,a ubiquitous lipase among mesophilic Bacillus species

AIMS: The aim of this study was to perform the isolation, cloning and characterization of a lipase from Bacillus sp. BP-6 bearing the features of a biotechnologically important group of enzymes. METHODS AND RESULTS: Strain Bacillus sp. BP-6, showing activity on tributyrin plates, was used for isolation of lipase-coding gene lipA by means of inverse and direct PCR. The complete 633 nucleotide ORF isolated was cloned in Escherichia coli for further characterization. The amino acid sequence of the cloned protein was 98% identical to B. subtilis and B. megaterium lipases, the enzyme also showing similar molecular and biochemical features. CONCLUSIONS: The gene coding for Bacillus sp. BP-6 LipA was found in all mesophilic Bacillus species assayed, indicating its ubiquity in the genus. The cloned enzyme displayed the same properties as those of homologous lipases. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The overall profile of Bacillus sp. BP-6 LipA was found to be that of a ubiquitous and highly conserved subfamily I.4 bacterial lipase. Previously described lipases within this family have shown to be well suited for biotechnological applications, suggesting that the cloned enzyme could be used accordingly.     

Gene Cloning and Characterization of a Novel Highly Organic Solvent Tolerant Lipase from Proteus sp. SW1 and its Application for Biodiesel Production

Proteus sp. SW1 was found to produce an extracellular solvent tolerant lipase. The gene, lipA, encoding a bacterial lipase, was cloned from total Proteus sp. SW1 DNA. lipA was predicted to encode a 287 amino acid protein of 31.2?kDa belonging to the Group I proteobacterial lipases. Purified His-tagged LipA exhibited optimal activity at pH 10.0 and 55??C. It was highly stable in organic solvents retaining 112% of its activity in 100% isopropanol after 24?h, and exhibited more than 200% of its initial activity upon exposure to 60% acetone, ethanol, and hexane for 18?h. Biodiesel synthesis reactions, using a single step addition of 13% an acyl acceptor ethanol, showed that LipA was highly effective at converting palm oil into biodiesel.     

Identification of lipase encoding genes from Antarctic seawater bacteria using degenerate primers: Expression of a cold-active lipase with high specific activity

Cold-active enzymes are valuable catalysts showing high activity at low and moderate temperatures and low thermostability. Among cold-active enzymes, lipases offer a great potential in detergent, cosmetic, biofuel and food or feed industries. In this paper we describe the identification of novel lipase coding genes and the expression of a lipase with high activity at low temperatures. The genomic DNA from Antarctic seawater bacteria showing lipolytic activity at 4 °C was used to amplify five DNA fragments that partially encode novel lipases using specifically designed COnsensus-DEgenerate Hybrid Oligonucleotide Primers (CODEHOP). All the fragments were found to have a high identity with an α/β-hydrolase domain-containing protein identified by the sequencing of the complete genome of Shewanella frigidimarina NCIMB 400. The complete sequence of one of the lipase-coding gene fragments, lipE13, was obtained by genome walking. Considering that the other fragments had a high identity to the putative lipase from S. frigidimarina NCIMB 400, the complete lipase genes were amplified using oligonucleotide primers designed based on the 5′ and 3′ regions of the coding sequence of the related protein.This strategy allowed the amplification of 3 lipase-encoding genes of which one was expressed in the periplasm using the Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)/pET-22b(+) expression system. The recombinant protein was obtained with activity toward p-nitrophenyl caproate showing a high specific activity between 15 and 25 °C.     

Molecular Cloning and Expression of a Cold-Adapted Lipase Gene from an Antarctic Deep Sea Psychrotrophic Bacterium <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas</Emphasis> sp. 7323

A psychrotrophic bacterium producing a cold-adapted lipase was isolated from the deep-sea sediment of Prydz Bay, Antarctic and identified as a Pseudomonas strain. Determination of the nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding a lipase from Pseudomonas sp. 7323 (lipA) revealed that LipA is composed of 617 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular weight of 64,466 Da. LipA has a GXSXG motif, which is conserved in lipases/esterases and generally contains the active-site serine. The lipase purified from the Escherichia coli transformant (rLipA) by metal-chelating chromatography exhibited the same electrophoretic mobility as did the wild-type lipase (wLipA) purified from strain 7323, and both enzymes were quite similar in physicochemical properties. The optimal temperature and pH value for the lipases activity were 30 degrees C and 9.0, respectively. They were unstable at temperatures above 25 degrees C and only retained half of their highest activity after incubation at 60 degrees C for 5 min. These results indicated that the enzymes were typical alkaline cold-adapted enzymes. Both enzymes were particularly activated by Ca(2+). Additionally, the enzymes hydrolyzed p-nitrophenyl caprate and tributyrin at the highest velocity among the other p-nitrophenyl esters and triglycerides.     

Low-Temperature Lipase from Psychrotrophic Pseudomonas sp. Strain KB700A

We have previously reported that a psychrotrophic bacterium, Pseudomonas sp. strain KB700A, which displays sigmoidal growth even at −5°C, produced a lipase. A genomic DNA library of strain KB700A was introduced into Escherichia coli TG1, and screening on tributyrin-containing agar plates led to the isolation of the lipase gene. Sequence analysis revealed an open reading frame (KB-lip) consisting of 1,422 nucleotides that encoded a protein (KB-Lip) of 474 amino acids with a molecular mass of 49,924 Da. KB-Lip showed 90% identity with the lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens and was found to be a member of Subfamily I.3 lipase. Gene expression and purification of the recombinant protein were performed. KB-Lip displayed high lipase activity in the presence of Ca²⁺. Addition of EDTA completely abolished lipase activity, indicating that KB-Lip was a Ca²⁺-dependent lipase. Addition of Mn²⁺ and Sr²⁺ also led to enhancement of lipase activity but to a much lower extent than that produced by Ca²⁺. The optimal pH of KB-Lip was 8 to 8.5. The addition of detergents enhanced the enzyme activity. When p-nitrophenyl esters and triglyceride substrates of various chain-lengths were examined, the lipase displayed highest activity towards C₁₀ acyl groups. We also determined the positional specificity and found that the activity was 20-fold higher toward the 1(3) position than toward the 2 position. The optimal temperature for KB-Lip was 35°C, lower than that for any previously reported Subfamily I.3 lipase. The enzyme was also thermolabile compared to these lipases. Furthermore, KB-Lip displayed higher levels of activity at low temperatures than did other enzymes from Subfamily I.3, indicating that KB-Lip has evolved to function in cold environments, in accordance with the temperature range for growth of its psychrotrophic host, strain KB700A.     

Cloning,expression and characterization of an organic solvent tolerant lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens JCM5963

A novel lipase gene from an organic solvent degradable strain Pseudomonas fluorescens JCM5963 was cloned, sequenced, and overexpressed as an N-terminus His-tag fusion protein in E. coli. The alignment of amino acid sequences revealed that the protein contained a lipase motif and shared a medium or high similarity with lipases from other Pseudomonas strains. It could be defined as a member of subfamily I.1 lipase. Most of the recombinant proteins expressed as enzymatically active aggregates soluble in 20 mM Tris–HCl buffer (pH 8.0) containing sodium deoxycholate are remarkably different from most subfamily I.1 and I.2 members of Pseudomonas lipases expressed as inactive inclusion body formerly described in E. coli. The recombinant lipase (rPFL) was purified to homogeneity by Ni-NTA affinity chromatography and Sephacryl S-200 gel filtration chromatography. The purified lipase was stable in broad ranges of temperatures and pH values, with the optimal temperature and pH value being 55 °C and 9.0, respectively. Its activity was found to increase in the presence of metal ions such as Ca²⁺, Sn²⁺ and some non-ionic surfactants. In addition, rPFL was activated by and remained stable in a series of water-miscible organic solvents solutions and highly tolerant to some water-immiscible organic solvents. These features render this novel lipase attraction for biotechnological applications in the field of organic synthesis and detergent additives.     

Optical Resolution of (±)-Metyrosine

A lipase gene (lip) and its activator gene (act) on a 2.9 kb BglII-EcoRI fragment from Pseudomonas sp. KWI-56 were cloned in Escherichia coli using pUC19 as a vector plasmid. From the sequencing results, the open reading frames of the lip and the act were found to contain 1092 and 1032 nucleotides, respectively. The act existed downstream of the lip with the same orientation. When the lip was expressed in E. coli using the lac promoter on the pUC plasmid vector, the lipase activity of E. coli carrying both the lip and the act was 200-fold greater than that carrying only the lip. This result suggested the act was important in the expression of the lip in E. coli.     

lip2, a novel lipase gene cloned from Aspergillus niger exhibits enzymatic characteristics distinct from its previously identified family member

We have cloned a novel lipase gene, lip2, from Aspergillus niger and expressed it in Escherichia coli. Upon purification of the recombinant Lip2 protein, its properties were characterized. In comparison with a previously identified lipase Lip1, both enzymes are acid lipases (optimal pH <6.5), Ca²⁺-dependent and PMSF-sensitive, but have different molecular weights (35 and 43 kDa), optimal substrate spectra (C10 and C8), optimal reaction temperatures (45 and 50°C) and thermal stability. Circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed that Lip2 contains a typical Ca²⁺-active site. This first report on the cloning of the Lip2 gene and its enzymatic characteristics may greatly facilitate its potential industrial application.     

Influence of N- and/or C-terminal regions on activity, expression, characteristics and structure of lipase from Geobacillus sp. 95

GD-95 lipase from Geobacillus sp. strain 95 and its modified variants lacking N-terminal signal peptide and/or 10 or 20 C-terminal amino acids were successfully cloned, expressed and purified. To our knowledge, GD-95 lipase precursor (Pre-GD-95) is the first Geobacillus lipase possessing more than 80 % lipolytic activity at 5 °C. It has maximum activity at 55 °C and displays a broad pH activity range. GD-95 lipase was shown to hydrolyze p-NP dodecanoate, tricaprylin and canola oil better than other analyzed substrates. Structural and sequence alignments of bacterial lipases and GD-95 lipase revealed that the C-terminus forms an α helix, which is a conserved structure in lipases from Pseudomonas, Clostridium or Staphylococcus bacteria. This work demonstrates that 10 and 20 C-terminal amino acids of GD-95 lipase significantly affect stability and other physicochemical properties of this enzyme, which has never been reported before and can help create lipases with more specific properties for industrial application. GD-95 lipase and its modified variants GD-95-10 can be successfully applied to biofuel production, in leather and pulp industries, for the production of cosmetics or perfumes. These lipases are potential biocatalysts in processes, which require extreme conditions: low or high temperature, strongly acidic or alkaline environment and various organic solvents.     

来源于青霉XMZ-9两个低温脂肪酶的基因克隆、原核表达与性质测定

低温脂肪酶在低温条件下仍具有较高活性,在食品添加剂、洗涤添加剂及有机合成等产业具有非常独特的应用前景。从低温菌株中分离低温脂肪酶基因是开发新的低温脂肪酶的有效手段。首先利用油脂同化平板与三丁酸甘油酯-维多利亚蓝平板从冰川土样中筛选分离获得一株具有较高脂肪酶活性的真菌,18S rDNA鉴定其属于青霉属,命名为Penicillium sp.XMZ-9。根据真菌脂肪酶多序列比对获得的保守区,设计简并引物,利用降落PCR与染色体步移的方法从Penicillium sp.XMZ-9中克隆到2个完整的脂肪酶基因,分别记为LipA与LipB。LipA全长1 014 bp,无内含子,编码337个氨基酸。而LipB全长1 232 bp,cDNA长1 122 bp,含有2个内含子,编码373个氨基酸。将两基因的cDNA序列克隆到pET30a(+)载体上,转化大肠杆菌Escherichiacoli BL21(DE3)。经低温诱导表达后,LipA大部分表达为包涵体,包涵体经复性后具有脂肪酶活性,并表现出低温适应性;LipB则大部分表达为可溶性蛋白,Ni-亲和层析柱纯化后,其亦具有低温脂肪酶活性。青霉菌株XMZ-9的获得与低温脂肪酶的克隆表达研究,为研究低温菌株与低温酶的适冷机制提供了宝贵的资源,也为进一步开发利用低温脂肪酶奠定了基础。     

Codon optimization through a two-step gene synthesis leads to a high-level expression of Aspergillus niger lip2 gene in Pichia pastoris

Aspergillus niger lipases are important biocatalysts for a broad range of industrial applications. To enhance the expression level of a newly cloned lipase gene lip2 of A. niger in Pichia pastoris, we applied codon optimization and synthesized the full length codon-optimized gene by a two-step gene synthesis strategy. This strategy consists of an assembly PCR for several small DNA fragments and enzymatic digestion and ligation steps to ligate these fragments into the full-length gene. First, the full-length lip2 gene was divided into three fragments F1 (237 bp), F2 (238 bp) and F3 (422 bp) with the additions of proper restriction sites, and separately amplified by assembly PCR reactions. Second, three PCR amplified fragments were digested and ligated into the full-length lip2 gene. In the two-step gene synthesis, synthesis of smaller DNA fragments resulted in a significant lower level of nonspecific mismatching among oligonucleotides and a very low mutational rate of the PCR products, demonstrating the superiority of the method. When compared with the originally cloned lip2 gene of A. niger, the new codon optimized lip2 gene expressed at a significantly higher level in yeasts after methanol induction for 72 h, and both the enzyme activity and protein content reached maximal levels of 191 U/ml and 154 mg/1, with 11.6- and 5.3-fold increases, respectively.     

A novel cold-adapted lipase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acinetobacter</Emphasis> sp. XMZ-26: gene cloning and characterisation

Acinetobacter sp. XMZ-26 (ACCC 05422) was isolated from soil samples obtained from glaciers in Xinjiang Province, China. The partial nucleotide sequence of a lipase gene was obtained by touchdown PCR using degenerate primers designed based on the conserved domains of cold-adapted lipases. Subsequently, a complete gene sequence encoding a 317 amino acid polypeptide was identified. Our novel lipase gene, lipA, was overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant protein (LipA) was purified by Ni-affinity chromatography, and then deeply characterised. The LipA resulted to hydrolyse pNP esters of fatty acids with acyl chain length from C2 to C16, and the preferred substrate was pNP octanoate showing a k _cat = 560.52 ± 28.32 s⁻¹, K _m = 0.075 ± 0.008 mM, and a k _cat/K _m = 7,377.29 ± 118.88 s⁻¹ mM⁻¹. Maximal LipA activity was observed at a temperature of 15°C and pH 10.0 using pNP decanoate as substrate. That LipA peaked at such a low temperature and remained most activity between 5°C and 35°C indicated that it was a cold-adapted enzyme. Remarkably, this lipase retained much of its activity in the presence of commercial detergents and organic solvents, including Ninol, Triton X-100, methanol, PEG-600, and DMSO. This cold-adapted lipase may find applications in the detergent industry and organic synthesis.     

Characterization of an organic solvent-tolerant lipase from Idiomarina sp. W33 and its application for biodiesel production using Jatropha oil

A halophilic strain W33 showing lipolytic activity was isolated from the saline soil of Yuncheng Salt Lake, China. Biochemical and physiological characterization along with 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis placed the isolate in the genus Idiomarina. The extracellular lipase was purified to homogeneity by 75 % ammonium sulphate precipitation, DEAE-Sepharose anion exchange and Sephacryl S-200 gel filtration chromatography. The molecular mass of the purified lipase was estimated to be 67 kDa by SDS-PAGE. Substrate specificity test indicated that it preferred long-chain p-nitrophenyl esters. Optimal lipase activity was found to be at 60 °C, pH 7.0–9.0 and 10 % NaCl, and it was highly active and stable over broad temperature (30–90 °C), pH (7.0–11.0) and NaCl concentration (0–25 %) ranges, showing excellent thermostable, alkali-stable and halotolerant properties. Significant inhibition by diethyl pyrocarbonate and phenylarsine oxide was observed, implying histidine and cysteine residues were essential for enzyme catalysis. In addition, the lipase displayed high stability and activity in the presence of hydrophobic organic solvents with log P _ow ≥ 2.13. The free and immobilized lipases produced by Idiomarina sp. W33 were applied for biodiesel production using Jatropha oil, and about 84 and 91 % of yields were achieved, respectively. This study formed the basic trials conducted to test the feasibility of using lipases from halophile for biodiesel production.     

Acidic lipase Lip I.3 from a Pseudomonas fluorescens‐like strain displays unusual properties and shows activity on secondary alcohols

Aims

Identification, cloning, expression and characterization of a novel lipase – Lip I.3 – from strain Pseudomonas CR‐611.

Methods and Results

The corresponding gene was identified and isolated by PCR‐amplification, cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, and purified by refolding from inclusion bodies. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence revealed high homology with members of the bacterial lipase family I.3, showing 97% identity to a putative lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0‐1, and 93% identity to a crystallized extracellular lipase from Pseudomonas sp. MIS38. A typical C‐terminal type I secretion signal and several putative Ca²⁺ binding sites were also identified. Experimental data confirmed that Lip I.3 requires Ca²⁺ ions for correct folding and activity. The enzyme differs from the previously reported family I.3 lipases in optimal pH, being the first acidophilic lipase reported in this family. Furthermore, Lip I.3 shows a strong preference for medium chain fatty acid esters and does not display interfacial activation. When tested for activity on secondary alcohol hydrolysis, Lip I.3 displayed higher efficiency on aromatic alcohols rather than on alkyl alcohols.

Conclusions

A new family I.3 lipase with unusual properties has been isolated, cloned and described. This will contribute to a better knowledge of family I.3 lipases, a family that has been scarcely explored, and that might provide a novel source of biocatalysts.

Significance and Impact of the Study

The unusual properties shown by Lip I.3 and the finding of activity and enantioselectivity on secondary alcohol esters may contribute to the development of new enzymatic tools for applied biocatalysis.     

Analysis of Bacillus megaterium lipolytic system and cloning of LipA,a novel subfamily I.4 bacterial lipase

The lipolytic system of Bacillus megaterium 370 was investigated, showing the existence of at least two secreted lipases and a cell-bound esterase. A gene coding for an extracellular lipase was isolated and cloned in Escherichia coli. The cloned enzyme displayed high activity on short to medium chain length (C(4)-C(8)) substrates, and poor activity on C(18) substrates. On the basis of amino acid sequence homology, the cloned lipase was classified into subfamily I.4 of bacterial lipases.     

Genes Involved in SkfA Killing Factor Production Protect a Bacillus subtilis Lipase against Proteolysis

Small lipases of Bacillus species, such as LipA from Bacillus subtilis, have a high potential for industrial applications. Recent studies showed that deletion of six AT-rich islands from the B. subtilis genome results in reduced amounts of extracellular LipA. Here we demonstrate that the reduced LipA levels are due to the absence of four genes, skfABCD, located in the prophage 1 region. Intact skfABCD genes are required not only for LipA production at wild-type levels by B. subtilis 168 but also under conditions of LipA overproduction. Notably, SkfA has bactericidal activity and, probably, requires the SkfB to SkfD proteins for its production. The present results show that LipA is more prone to proteolytic degradation in the absence of SkfA and that high-level LipA production can be improved significantly by employing multiple protease-deficient B. subtilis strains. In conclusion, our findings imply that SkfA protects LipA, directly or indirectly, against proteolytic degradation. Conceivably, SkfA could act as a modulator in LipA folding or as a protease inhibitor.     

Immobilization of lipase by salts and the transesterification activity in hexane

Lipases from six different sources were immobilized on Celite and five types of salt. The transesterification activities in hexane for lipases immobilized on EDTA-Na₂ increased by 463% for the lipase from Candida rugosa (CRL), 2700% for the lipase from Candida sp. (CSL) and 1215% for the lipase from Pseudomonas sp. (PSL), compared to the salt-free enzyme. With 0.5% sucrose for CRL or 1% sorbitol for PSL as the lyoprotectant during lyophilization process, transesterification activity increased by 100% and 13%, respectively, compared to the immobilized enzyme on EDTA-Na₂ without lyoprotectant.