Immobilization of pancreatic lipase on chitin and chitosan

In this study, porcine pancreatic lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) was immobilized on chitin and chitosan by adsorption and subsequent crosslinking with glutaraldehyde, which was added before (conjugation) or after (crosslinking) washing unbound proteins. Conjugation proved to be the better method for both supports. The properties of free and immobilized enzymes were also investigated and compared. The results showed that the pH optimum was shifted from 8.5 to 9.0 for both the immobilized enzymes. Also, the optimum temperature was shifted from 30 to 40 degrees C for chitin-enzyme and to 45 degrees C for chitosan-enzyme conjugates. The immobilization efficiency is low, but the immobilized enzymes have good reusability and stability (storage and operational). Besides these properties, the immobilized lipases were also suitable for catalyzing esterification reactions of fatty acids and fatty alcohols, both with a medium chain length. According to our results, esterification activities of immobilized lipases were two- and four-fold higher for chitosan- and chitin-enzyme, than for the free enzyme, respectively. The immobilization procedure shows a great potential for commercial applications of the immobilized lipase, a relatively low cost commercial enzyme.     

Comparison of the kinetic specificity of subtilisin and thiolsubtilisin toward n-alkyl p-nitrophenyl esters.

The p-nitrophenyl esters of straight-chain fatty acids were used as substrates of the enzyme subtilisin Novo (EC 3.4.4.16) and its chemically produced artificial enzyme thiolsubtilisin. Subtilisin and thiolsubtilisin pH--activity profiles were determined, and kinetic effects of the active site O-S substitution were observed. Among the substrates tested, both enzymes show highest specificity with p-nitrophenyl butyrate. It was also found that subtilisin is more sensitive to changes in substrate chain length than is thiolsubtilisin. Second-order acylation rate constants (k2/Ks) are remarkably similar for both enzymes. However, thiolsubtilisin deacylation rate constants and Km values are lower than analogous subtilisin constants. While thiolsubtilisin deacylation rate constants give a pH profile identical with that of subtilisin, the pH profile of thiolsubtilisin acylation rate constants shows an active site pK value lowered from the subtilisin pK of 7.15 and exhibits an inflection point at pH 8.45, which is absent in subtilisin.     

Ca stimulated neutral lipase activity in castor bean lipid bodies

The membranes of lipid bodies from the endosperm of seeds of Ricinus communis have long been known to contain an acid lipase (triacylglycerol acyl hydrolase, EC 3.1.1.3). The means by which fat hydrolysis is initiated and controlled in the endosperm of the young seedling are not yet understood, although it is generally assumed that the acid lipase is the enzyme responsible for the conversion of stored triacylglycerols to fatty acids and glycerol. However, the enzyme from seeds is not an effective catalyst at cytoplasmic pH since it has a pH optimum at 4.5 and is virtually inactive above pH 6.0. The results described in this paper show that during early growth of castor seeds the lipid bodies acquire a lipase which is active at neutral pH values. The lipase is absent from dry seeds, appears at day 3, and increases rapidly in activity until day 5. The pattern of appearance of the lipase mirrors that of other enzymes involved in the conversion of fat to sugar. The lipase is stimulated 40-fold by 30 micromolar free Ca²⁺ and the activity at pH 7.0 to 7.5 adequately accounts for the known rate of triacylglycerol hydrolysis in vivo.     

Identification of catalytically active groups of wheat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum aestivum</Emphasis>) germ lipase

The active site of wheat germ lipase was studied by the Dixon method and chemical modification. The profile of curve log V = f(pH), pK and ionization heat values, lipase photoinactivation, and lipase inactivation with diethylpyrocarbonate and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide led us to assume that the active site of the enzyme comprises the carboxylic group of aspartic or glutamic acid and the imidazole group of histidine. Apparently, the OH-group of serine plays a key role in catalysis: as a result of incubation for 1 h in the presence of phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, the enzyme activity decreased by more than 70%. It is shown that ethylenediamine tetraacetate is a noncompetitive inhibitor of lipase.     

Selective Enrichment of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Oils by Phospholipase A1

Omega fatty acids are recognized as key nutrients for healthier ageing. Lipases are used to release ω-3 fatty acids from oils for preparing enriched ω-3 fatty acid supplements. However, use of lipases in enrichment of ω-3 fatty acids is limited due to their insufficient specificity for ω-3 fatty acids. In this study use of phospholipase A1 (PLA1), which possesses both sn-1 specific activity on phospholipids and lipase activity, was explored for hydrolysis of ω-3 fatty acids from anchovy oil. Substrate specificity of PLA1 from Thermomyces lenuginosus was initially tested with synthetic p-nitrophenyl esters along with a lipase from Bacillus subtilis (BSL), as a lipase control. Gas chromatographic characterization of the hydrolysate obtained upon treatment of anchovy oil with these enzymes indicated a selective retention of ω-3 fatty acids in the triglyceride fraction by PLA1 and not by BSL. ¹³C NMR spectroscopy based position analysis of fatty acids in enzyme treated and untreated samples indicated that PLA1 preferably retained ω-3 fatty acids in oil, while saturated fatty acids were hydrolysed irrespective of their position. Hydrolysis of structured triglyceride,1,3-dioleoyl-2-palmitoylglycerol, suggested that both the enzymes hydrolyse the fatty acids at both the positions. The observed discrimination against ω-3 fatty acids by PLA1 appears to be due to its fatty acid selectivity rather than positional specificity. These studies suggest that PLA1 could be used as a potential enzyme for selective concentrationof ω-3 fatty acids.     

Role of active site rigidity in activity: MD simulation and fluorescence study on a lipase mutant

Relationship between stability and activity of enzymes is maintained by underlying conformational flexibility. In thermophilic enzymes, a decrease in flexibility causes low enzyme activity while in less stable proteins such as mesophiles and psychrophiles, an increase in flexibility is associated with enhanced enzyme activity. Recently, we identified a mutant of a lipase whose stability and activity were enhanced simultaneously. In this work, we probed the conformational dynamics of the mutant and the wild type lipase, particularly flexibility of their active site using molecular dynamic simulations and time-resolved fluorescence techniques. In contrast to the earlier observations, our data show that active site of the mutant is more rigid than wild type enzyme. Further investigation suggests that this lipase needs minimal reorganization/flexibility of active site residues during its catalytic cycle. Molecular dynamic simulations suggest that catalytically competent active site geometry of the mutant is relatively more preserved than wild type lipase, which might have led to its higher enzyme activity. Our study implies that widely accepted positive correlation between conformation flexibility and enzyme activity need not be stringent and draws attention to the possibility that high enzyme activity can still be accomplished in a rigid active site and stable protein structures. This finding has a significant implication towards better understanding of involvement of dynamic motions in enzyme catalysis and enzyme engineering through mutations in active site.     

Hormones and triacylglycerol metabolism under normoxic and ischemic conditions

Summary Fatty acids, the preferred substrate in normoxic myocardium, are derived from either exogenous or endogenous triacylglycerols. The supply of exogenous fatty acids is dependent of the rate of lipolysis in adipose tissue and of the lipoprotein lipase activity at the coronary vascular endothelium. A large part of the liberated fatty acids is reesterified with glycerol-3-phosphate and converted to triacylglycerols. Endogenous lipolysis and lipogenesis are intracellular compartmentalized multienzyme processes of which individual hormone-sensitive steps have been demonstrated in adipose tissue. The triacylglycerol lipase is the rate-limiting enzyme of lipolysis and glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase and possibly phosphatidate phosphohydrolase are the rate-limiting enzymes of lipogenesis. The hormonal regulation of both processes in heart is still a matter of dispute. Triacylglycerol lipase activity in myocardial tissue has two intracellular sources: 1, the endoplasmic reticular and soluble neutral lipase, and 2. the lysosomal acid lipase. Studies in our laboratory have indicated that whereas lipolysis is enhanced during global ischemia and anoxia, overall lipolytic enzyme activities in heart homogenates were not altered. In addition we were unable to demonstrate alterations in tissue triacylglycerol content and glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase activity under these conditions. Lipolysis, is subject to feedback inhibition by product fatty acids. Therefore all processes leading to an increased removal of fatty acids from the catalytic site of the lipase will stimulate lipolysis. These studies will be reviewed. In addition, studies from our department have demonstrated the capacity of myocardial lysosomes to take up and degrade added triacylglycerol-particles in vitro. Such a process, stimulated by Ca²⁺ and stimulated by acidosis, offers another physiological target for hormone actions.     

Pretreatment of lipase with soybean oil before immobilization to prevent loss of activity

Lipase was pretreated with soybean oil in order to allow fatty acids to bond to the active site before immobilization. This pretreated lipase exhibited steric hindrance around the active site such that during immobilization, covalent bonds were formed between the carrier and the lipase region far from the active site. The activity of the pretreated lipase immobilized covalently on a silica gel was 530 U/g-matrix, which is 16 times higher than that of the immobilized non-pretreated lipase. In addition, the immobilized lipase activity was maintained at levels exceeding 90% of its original activity after 10 reuses.     

The lid is a structural and functional determinant of lipase activity and selectivity

In several lipases access to the enzyme active site is regulated by the position of a mobile structure named the lid. The role of this region in modulating lipase function is reviewed in this paper analysing the results obtained with three different recombinant lipases modified in the lid sequence: Candida rugosa lipase isoform 1 (CRL1), Pseudomonas fragi lipase (PFL) and Bacillus subtilis lipase A (BSLA). A CRL chimera enzyme obtained by replacing its lid with that of another C. rugosa lipase isoform (CRL1LID3) was found to be affected in both activity and enantioselectivity in organic solvent. Variants of the PFL protein in which three polar lid residues were replaced with amino acids strictly conserved in homologous lipases displayed altered chain length preference profile and increased thermostability. On the other hand, insertion of lid structures from structurally homologous enzymes into BSLA, a lipase that naturally does not possess such a lid structure, caused a reduction in the enzyme activity and an altered substrate specificity. These results strongly support the concept that the lid plays an important role in modulating not only activity but also specifity, enantioselectivity and stability of lipase enzymes.     

Post-heparin plasma hepatic triacylglycerol lipase-catalyzed tributyrin hydrolysis. Effect of trypsin treatment

Hepatic triacylglycerol lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) hydrolyzes water-insoluble fatty acid esters, e.g., trioleoylglycerol (lipase activity) and water-soluble fatty acid esters, e.g., tributyrin (esterase activity). Esterase activity of hepatic triacylglycerol lipase is enhanced by triolein emulsion and phospholipid vesicles [1]. The catalytic mechanism and structure of human hepatic triacylglycerol lipase isolated from human post-heparin plasma and the effect of trypsin treatment on the lipase and esterase activities of the enzyme were examined. Treatment of hepatic triacylglycerol lipase with trypsin resulted in loss of its lipase activity, but had no effect on its esterase activity. Chromatography of hepatic triacylglycerol lipase on Bio-Gel A5m showed that hepatic triacylglycerol lipase binds to dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles. However, on chromatography of the trypsin-treated enzyme after incubation with dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles, a part of hepatic triacylglycerol lipase that retained esterase activity was eluted separately from the dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles. Addition of vesicles of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine to the trypsin-treated enzyme did not enhance its esterase activity. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that hepatic triacylglycerol lipase has a catalytic site that hydrolyzes tributyrin and a lipid interface recognition site, and that these sites are different: trypsin modified the lipid interface recognition site of the hepatic triacylglycerol lipase but not the catalytic site.     

Determination of active enzyme concentration using activity-based probes and direct mass spectrometric readout

Activity-based probes (ABPs) are specific covalent inhibitors developed for different classes of enzymes. We have titrated a serine protease and a lipase with their specific ABPs and measured the extent of inhibition using nanoelectrospray mass spectrometry (nanoESI-MS). Because ABPs only interact with the active enzyme form, the approach allows to accurately measure the active enzyme concentration in solution. This is even possible in the presence of contaminants. The concentrations of the two enzymes were also investigated by UV spectroscopy, which appears to give higher concentrations than those measured with the active site titration method.     

Release of short chain fatty acids from cream lipids by commercial lipases and esterases

Lipases and esterases are frequently used in dairy production processes to enhance the buttery flavour of the end product. Short chain fatty acids, and especially butanoic acid, play a key role in this and different enzymes with specificity towards short chain fatty acids are commercially available as potent flavouring tools. We have compared six lipases/esterases associated with buttery flavour production. Although specificity to short chain fatty acids was ascribed to each enzyme, clear differences in free fatty acid profiles were found when these enzymes were applied on cream. Candida cylindraceae lipase was the most useful enzyme for buttery flavour production in cream with the highest yield of free fatty acids (57 g oleic acid 100 g⁻¹ fat), no release of long chain fatty acids and specificity towards butanoic acid.     

Human lipoprotein lipase: the loop covering the catalytic site is essential for interaction with lipid substrates.

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL), a key enzyme which initiates the hydrolysis of triglycerides present in chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins, consists of multiple functional domains which are necessary for normal activity. The catalytic domain of LPL mediates the esterase function of the enzyme but separate lipid binding sites have been proposed to be involved in the interaction of LPL with emulsified lipid substrates at the water-lipid interface. Like pancreatic lipase (PL), LPL contains a surface loop covering the catalytic pocket that may modulate access of the substrate to the active site of the enzyme. Secondary structural analysis of this loop reveals a helix-turn-helix motif with two short amphipathic helices that have hydrophobic moments of 0.64 and 0.68. In order to investigate the role of the loop in the initial interaction of LPL with its substrate, we utilized site-directed mutagenesis to generate eight constructs in which the amphipathic properties of the loop were altered and expressed them in human embryonal kidney-293 cells. Reducing the amphiphilicity without changing the predicted secondary structure of the loop abolished the ability of the lipase to hydrolyze emulsified, long chain fatty acid triglycerides (triolein) but not the water soluble substrate tributyrin. Replacing the loop of LPL with the loop of hepatic lipase, which differs in 15 of 22 amino acids but is also amphiphilic, led to the expression of an enzyme that retained both triolein and tributyrin hydrolyzing activity. Substitution of the LPL loop by a short four amino acid peptide, which may allow more direct access to the active site than the 22 amino acid loop, enhanced hydrolysis of short chain fatty acid triglycerides by more than 2-fold, while the ability to hydrolyze emulsified substrates was abolished. Thus, disruption of the amphipathic structure of the LPL loop selectively decreases the hydrolysis of emulsified lipid substrate without affecting the esterase or catalytic function of the enzyme. These studies establish that the loop with its two amphipathic helices is essential for hydrolysis of long chain fatty acid substrate by LPL providing new insight into the role of the LPL loop in lipid-substrate interactions. We propose that the interaction between the lipoprotein substrates and the amphipathic helices within this loop may in part determine lipase substrate specificity.     

Geotrichum candidum 4013: Extracellular lipase versus cell-bound lipase from the single strain

Two types of lipases (extracellular and cell-bound) were produced by Geotrichum candidum 4013 in liquid medium and were used as biocatalysts in blackcurrant oil hydrolysis. Reaction products were analysed for the degree of conversion from which enzyme activity was evaluated, and the composition of free fatty acids was compared to the composition of oil substrate. The enzyme activity was measured also before and after the reaction in SC-CO₂. The fatty acid composition of the acids liberated from oil by hydrolysis suggests a specificity of the cell-bound and extracellular enzymes from Geotrichum candidum 4013. The extracellular lipase displays low selectivity to the polyunsaturated fatty acids, and the cell-bound lipase possesses selectivity to the saturated fatty acids. Enantioselectivity of the tested processes achieved with both induced enzymes was high (from 43 to 242). The activity of all enzymes has markedly increased after their exposure to SC-CO₂. The treatment of enzymes by SC-CO₂ could be easy-to-use approaches to improve the efficiency of enzymatic reactions.     

Carboxylic ester hydrolases of rat pancreatic juice

An attempt was made to establish the number and characteristics of the enzymes in pancreatic juice that hydrolyze nitrogen- and phosphorus-free esters of fatty acids. For this purpose model compounds were hydrolyzed by lyophilized rat pancreatic juice under conditions that accelerated or inhibited the reactions. Although it is not established with certainty, it is suggested that three enzymes are responsible for the hydrolysis of fatty acid esters. The first enzyme is glycerol-ester hydrolase (EC 3.1.1.3) or lipase. This enzyme hydrolyzes water-insoluble esters of primary alcohols. The reaction occurs at an oil/water interface and is inhibited by bile salts at pH 8. The enzyme is relatively stable at pH 9, but unstable at pH 4. It has a broad pH optimum between 7.5 and 9.5. The second enzyme hydrolyzes esters of secondary alcohols and of other alcohols as well. It has an absolute requirement for bile salts and has a pH optimum at about 8. The enzyme is unstable in pancreatic juice when maintained at pH 9, probably due to the action of trypsin. It may be identical with sterol-ester hydrolase (EC 3.1.1.13). The third enzyme hydrolyzes water-soluble esters. It too has an absolute requirement for bile salts, although a smaller amount is necessary for maximum activity. This enzyme also is unstable at pH 9, but can be differentiated from the preceding enzyme by its stability at pH 4 and its pH optimum of 9.0. Carboxylic-ester hydrolase (EC 3.1.1.1) is not found in pancreatic juice, although it is present in pancreatic tissue.     

Lipase in the Lipid Bodies of Corn Scutella during Seedling Growth

In the scutella of corn (Zea mays), lipase activity is absent in ungerminated seeds and increases during seedling growth. At the peak stage of lipolysis, about 50% of the lipase activity is recovered in the lipid body fraction after flotation centrifugation. The lipase is tightly bound to the lipid bodies, and resists solubilization by repeated washing with buffers or NaCl solutions. Isolated lipid bodies undergo autolysis of internal triacylglycerols, resulting in the release of fatty acids. After the triacylglycerols in isolated lipid bodies have been extracted with diethyl ether, the lipase is recovered in the membrane fraction. The lipase has an optimal activity at pH 7.5 in the autolysis of lipid bodies, or on trilinolein or N-methylindoxylmyristate. Of the various acylglycerols examined, the enzyme is active only on acylglycerols of linoleic and oleic acids which are the major fatty acid constituents of corn oil. The activity is not greatly affected by NaCl, CaCl₂, or pretreatment of the enzyme with p-chloromercuribenzoate or mersalyl, and detergents abolish the activity. The enzyme hydrolyzes trilinolein completely to fatty acids; during the course of reaction, there is little accumulation of di- or mono-linolein.     

Fused dimerization increases expression,solubility, and activity of bacterial dehydratase enzymes

FabA and FabZ are the two dehydratase enzymes in Escherichia coli that catalyze the dehydration of acyl intermediates in the biosynthesis of fatty acids. Both enzymes form obligate dimers in which the active site contains key amino acids from both subunits. While FabA is a soluble protein that has been relatively straightforward to express and to purify from cultured E. coli, FabZ has shown to be mostly insoluble and only partially active. In an effort to increase the solubility and activity of both dehydratases, we made constructs consisting of two identical subunits of FabA or FabZ fused with a naturally occurring peptide linker, so as to force their dimerization. The fused dimer of FabZ (FabZ‐FabZ) was expressed as a soluble enzyme with an ninefold higher activity in vitro than the unfused FabZ. This construct exemplifies a strategy for the improvement of enzymes from the fatty acid biosynthesis pathways, many of which function as dimers, catalyzing critical steps for the production of fatty acids.     

Understanding lipase stereoselectivity

Microorganisms or isolated enzymes can be applied as catalysts to create highly regio- and stereoselective conversions under mild conditions. Lipases (EC 3.1.1.3, triacylglycerol lipase) are lipid-hydrolysing enzymes, which are increasingly used in stereoselective reactions. Their industrial importance arises from the fact that they act on a variety of substrates promoting a broad range of biocatalytic reactions. Lipase stereoselectivity is exploited for the production of single enantiomers instead of racemic mixtures and will become more important in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industry because, in most cases only one of the two enantiomers has the desired activity, whereas no activity or even undesirable side effects reside in the other enantiomer. Enantiomer differentiation is due to the various diastereomeric interactions that occur between the enantiomers and the active site of the enzyme. The stereospecificity of a lipase depends largely on the structure of the substrate, interaction at the active site and on the reaction conditions. Stereoselectivity involves a wide range of factors such as differentiation of enantiotopes, differentiation of enantiomers, type of substrate, biochemical interaction of the substrate with the enzyme, steric interaction of the substrates, competition between two different substrates, nature and availability of the active site for stereoselective action, presence of water and nature of solvents based on polarity and supercritical state. This article reviews factors responsible for lipase stereoselectivity.     

Structure-reactivity relationships for the inhibition mechanism at the second alkyl-chain-binding site of cholesterol esterase and lipase.

Alkyl-N-phenyl carbamates (2-8) (see Figure 1), alkyl-N-phenyl thiocarbamates (9-15), 2,2'-biphenyl-2-ol-2'-N-substituted carbamates (16-23), and 2, 2'-biphenyl-2-N-octadecylcarbamate-2'-N-substituted carbamates (24-31) are prepared and evaluated for their inhibition effects on porcine pancreatic cholesterol esterase and Pseudomona species lipase. All inhibitors are characterized as transient or pseudo substrate inhibitors for both enzymes. Both enzymes are not protected from inhibition and further inactivated by carbamates 2-8 and thiocarbamates 9-15 in the presence of trifluoroacetophenone. Therefore, carbamates 2-8 and thiocarbamates 9-15 are exceptions for active site binding inhibitors and are probably the second alkyl-chain binding-site-directed inhibitors for both enzymes. The inhibition data for carbamates 2-8 and thiocarbamates 9-15 are correlated with the steric constant, E(s), and the hydrophobicity constant, pi; however, the inhibition data are not correlated with the Taft substituent constant, sigma. A comparison of the inhibition data for carbamates 2-8 and thiocarbamates 9-15 toward both enzymes indicates that thiocarbamates 9-15 are more potent inhibitors than carbamates 2-8. A comparison of the inhibition data for cholesterol esterase and Pseudomona species lipase by carbamates 2-8 or thiocarbamates 9-15 indicates that cholesterol esterase is more sensitive to the E(s) and pi values than Pseudomona species lipase. The negative slope values for the logarithms of inhibition data for Pseudomona species lipase by carbamates 2-8 and thiocarbamates 9-15 versus E(s) and pi indicate that the second alkyl-chain-binding site of Pseudomona species lipase is huge, hydrophilic, compared to that of cholesterol esterase, and prefers to interact with a bulky, hydrophilic inhibitor rather than a small, hydrophobic one. On the contrary, the second alkyl-chain-binding site of cholesterol esterase prefers to bind to a small, hydrophobic inhibitor. Both enzymes are protected from inhibition by carbamates 16-23 in the presence of trifluoroacetophenone. Therefore, carbamates 16-23 are characterized as the alkyl chain binding site, esteratic site oxyanion active site directed pseudo substrate inhibitors for both enzymes. Both enzyme inhibition data for carbamates 16-22 are well-correlated with sigma alone. The negative rho values for these correlations indicate that the serine residue of both enzymes and carbamates 16-22 forms the tetrahedral species with more positive charges than inhibitors and the enzymes and follow the formation of the carbamyl enzymes with more positive charges than the tetrahedral species. Carbamates 24-31 are also exceptions for active site binding inhibitors and probably the second alkyl chain binding site-directed inhibitors for both enzymes. However, the enzyme inhibition constants for carbamates 24-31 are correlated with values of sigma, E(s), and pi. The negative rho values for these correlations indicate that both enzymes and carbamates 24-31 form the tetrahedral species with more positive charges than inhibitors and the enzymes and follow the formation of the carbamyl enzymes with more positive charges than those tetrahedral species. Therefore, carbamates 24-31 may bind to both the active sites and the second alkyl chain binding site and follow the evacuation of the active sites. A comparison of the rho values for cholesterol esterase and Pseudomona species lipase by carbamates 24-31 indicates that cholesterol esterase is much more sensitive to the sigma values than Pseudomona species lipase. The negative sensitivity values, delta, for the cholesterol esterase inhibitions by carbamates 24-31 indicate that the enzyme prefers to bind to a bulky carbamyl group rather than bind to a small one. The hydrophobicity of carbamates 24-31 does not play a major role in both enzyme inhibitions.     

Phospholipase A2 activity triggers the wound-activated chemical defense in the diatom Thalassiosira rotula

The activation of oxylipin-based chemical defense in the diatom Thalassiosira rotula is initiated by phospholipases that act immediately after cell damage. This lipase activity is responsible for the preferential release of free mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Among these, eicosatetraenoic- and eicosapentaenoic acid are further converted by lipoxygenases to reactive defensive metabolites such as the antiproliferative alpha,beta,gamma,delta-unsaturated aldehydes 2,4-decadienal and 2,4,7-decatrienal. We show that mainly saturated free fatty acids are present in the intact diatom T. rotula, whereas the amount of free polyunsaturated eicosanoids is drastically increased in the first minutes after wounding. Using fluorescent probes, the main enzyme activity responsible for initiation of the aldehyde-generating lipase/lipoxygenase/hydroperoxide lyase cascade was characterized as a phospholipase A2. All enzymes involved in this specific defensive reaction are active in seawater over several minutes. Thus, the mechanism allows the unicellular algae to overcome restrictions arising out of potential dilution of defensive metabolites. Only upon predation are high local concentrations of aldehydes formed in the vicinity of the herbivores, whereas in times of low stress, cellular resources can be invested in the formation of eicosanoid-rich phospholipids. In contrast to higher plants, which use lipases acting on galactolipids to release C18 fatty acids for production of leaf-volatile aldehydes, diatoms rely on phospholipids and the transformation of C20 fatty acids to form 2,4-decadienal and 2,4,7-decatrienal as an activated defense.