鱼源副乳房链球菌前噬菌体裂解酶Sply828的抗菌活性

【背景】副乳房链球菌（Streptococcus parauberis）是重要的水产病原菌,该病原菌已逐渐出现新的血清型及多重耐药性状,因此亟须开发出一种新的抗菌药物用于该病害的防治。研究发现,前噬菌体编码的裂解酶能够有效地杀死其宿主,具有良好的抗菌应用前景。【目的】以副乳房链球菌前噬菌体裂解酶为对象,研究其杀菌宿主谱并优化其裂解活性的条件。【方法】利用PHASTER工具对副乳房链球菌菌株KRS02083全基因组序列分析发现,其前噬菌体包含一种裂解酶的基因Sply828;通过基因克隆、表达和纯化等技术得到裂解酶Sply828蛋白;通过浊度递减实验探究裂解酶Sply828对不同细菌的杀菌活性及其最适的裂解条件。【结果】裂解酶Sply828对鱼源副乳房链球菌具有最佳的杀菌活性,并发现该酶对处于指数生长期的细菌杀菌效果最好;其最适裂解温度为28°C,最适pH为6.2;Ca²⁺和Mg²⁺对该酶的杀菌活性有促进作用,但是Zn²⁺、Cu²⁺、Fe²⁺、Ni²⁺明显抑制...     

粘质沙雷氏菌脂肪酶基因的克隆表达和酶学性质的研究

目的:克隆粘质沙雷氏菌脂肪酶基因(lipA)使其在大肠杆菌B121(DE3)中实现高效表达,并对重组酶进行酶学性质研究.方法:以产脂肪酶粘质沙雷氏菌总DNA为模板,PCR扩增脂肪酶基因lipA,构建重组表达载体pET-lipA,并将其导入大肠杆菌进行诱导表达,对表达产物进行SDS-PAGE和酶学性质的测定.结果:经过优化培养条件,脂肪酶活力最高能达到104U/mL.重组脂肪酶的最适反应温度为40～45℃,最适pH为7.0～7.5,在50℃保温1h下仍能保持80%的酶活力,Ca2+、Sr2+、Mn2+和Mg2+对脂肪酶酶活有较强的激活作用,尤其是Ca2+使脂肪酶酶活提高了1倍多,而Ni2+、Fe2+、Fe3+、Cu2+、Zn2+和Al3+对酶活具有较强的抑制作用,尤其是Zn2+和Al3+使酶活力几乎完全丧失.该酶对一些有机溶剂有较好的耐受性,与50%甲醇混合24h,仍能保持84%的酶活力.结论:该脂肪酶具有较好的热稳定性和甲醇耐受力,作为生产生物柴油的催化剂具有很大的应用价值,为基因工程酶法生产生物柴油打下良好的基础.     

黑曲霉（Aspergillus niger）F044脂肪酶新型基因lipB的克隆、表达及酶学性质分析

摘要：【目的】本研究拟克隆新型的黑曲霉（Aspergillus niger）脂肪酶（EC 3.1.1.3）基因,实现其在大肠杆菌（Escherichia coli）的高效表达,并对表达产物进行系统的酶学性质分析,为该脂肪酶的工业化生产及应用奠定基础。【方法】通过PCR和RT-PCR克隆脂肪酶基因,并将其开放式阅读框（ORF）克隆入融合表达载体pET28a;表达产物经Ni-agarose纯化后对LipB进行酶学性质分析,并通过圆二色谱进行结构分析。【结果】成功地从A. niger F044中克隆了一个新型的脂肪酶基因lipB,获得了该基因的全基因组序列和cDNA序列（GenBank: FJ536287、FJ536288）,并实现了其在E. coli中的高效表达。LipB分子量约为43.0 kDa,最适底物为pNPC（C8）,酶学动力学常数Km=5.98 mmol/L,最适反应温度为50℃,最适pH为6.0;该酶能在40℃条件下保持稳定,在60℃条件下处理1 h后残余酶活仅为18.8%;该酶对Ca2+敏感,当脂肪酶经2 mmol/L Ca2+处理1 h后,酶活提高了2.6倍。圆二色谱分析表明该酶在Ca2+处理前后具有明显的结构变化。【结论】新型A. niger脂肪酶lipB基因的克隆不仅积累了脂肪酶基因资源,而且为高效基因工程菌的构建及规模化应用奠定基础;对LipB的酶学性质分析表明该酶在食品和油酯化工等领域具有广阔的应用前景。     

铜绿假单胞菌耐热亮氨酸氨肽酶基因在大肠杆菌中的克隆、表达及表达产物的酶学特性鉴定

氨肽酶在食品加工、饲料生产、生物活性肽制备等多个领域被广泛应用,尤其是耐热氨肽酶的应用前景更加广阔。目前,有关铜绿假单胞菌(Pseudomonas aeruginosa)耐热氨肽酶基因的成功克隆和表达的研究较少,本研究将源自铜绿假单胞菌GF31的亮氨酸氨肽酶基因aps进行密码子优化,通过全基因合成得到aps序列并构建周质表达载体pET22b(+)-pelB-aps,在大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)Rosetta gami2(DE3)中进行表达。纯化后的重组菌所产亮氨酸氨肽酶比活力为6.8 U/mg,最适反应温度和pH值分别为80℃和8.0;在50℃～70℃或pH 7.0～9.0下孵育1 h后该酶仍保持80%以上的活力;Co²⁺对其酶活力有较强激活作用,Fe²⁺、 Ni²⁺、 Zn²⁺、 β-巯基乙醇、 DTT、 EDTA、 1,10-邻菲咯啉和Bestatin对其有较强的抑制作用;该酶对Leu-pNA和Met-pNA的水解效果较好,对Ala-pNA和Arg-pNA也有一定水解能力,其中...     

新颖微生物低温酯酶EstP8的酶学性质研究与在手性催化中的应用

从假单胞菌Pseudonocardia antitumoralis HUP007基因组中克隆了一个1 041bp的酯酶基因EstP8,编码的蛋白具有377个氨基酸残基。在E.coli BL21（DE3）中实现酯酶EstP8的高效异源表达和纯化。EstP8为脂肪酶家族Ⅳ中的一员,具有HGGG保守序列。EstP8最适底物为对硝基苯酚乙酸酯（p-NPO）,最适温度和pH分别为50℃和8.0。EstP8催化p-NPO水解反应的活性、V_max和K_m分别达到105.19U/mg、89.4μM/min、1.144mM。EstP8在pH7.0~8.0范围内具有良好的pH稳定性;在4℃时,酯酶相对活力为41.78%,在10~40℃内具有很好温度稳定性。EstP8对大部分金属离子有很好的耐受性,低浓度的Cu²⁺、Mn²⁺、Zn²⁺对该酶的活性有激活作用。辛烷、庚烷、甲苯、丙酮、DMF等有机溶剂对EstP8的活性同样具有激活作用。酯酶EstP8还可以通过水解拆分高效地制备手性（R）-1-苯基乙醇;添加有机溶剂可以很好地促进该酯酶的光学选择性和产率,在共溶剂甲苯的存在下,所制备的（R）-1-苯基乙醇的e.e.和产率可达91%和18%;在共溶剂DMSO的存在下,所制备的（S）-乙酸苏合香酯的e.e.和产率可达98%和60%。酯酶EstP8在手性生物催化等诸多工业领域有很好的应用潜力。     

扩展青霉脂肪酶基因克隆、密码子优化及表达

【目的】克隆扩展青霉脂肪酶基因,实现具强催化活性的脂肪酶的异源高效表达。【方法】利用RT-PCR扩增扩展青霉CICC 40356脂肪酶(PEL)cDNA序列,利用重叠延伸PCR(Over-lap extension PCR)技术对PEL的10个稀有氨基酸密码子和表达载体pPIC9Kα信号肽的9个氨基酸密码子进行了优化,获得了改造过的脂肪酶基因PELM和表达载体pPIC9KM。并构建了带有脂肪酶自身信号肽的pPIC9K-PEL1、pPIC9KM-PELM1、pPIC3.5K-PEL1、pPIC3.5K-PELM1和不带有脂肪酶自身信号肽的pPIC9K-PEL2、pPIC9KM-PELM2六个重组质粒。利用对硝基苯酚棕榈酸酯(pNPP)为底物检测工程菌脂肪酶的酶活。在此基础上,对工程菌的酶学性质进行了研究。【结果】扩展青霉脂肪酶基因cDNA序列分析结果表明该序列与已报道PEL cDNA序列仅相差3个碱基,同源性高达99%。6个重组工程菌在甲醇诱导下,均表现出pNPP水解活性,28℃诱导100h时酶活达到最高,发酵上清的酶活分别为3.65 U/mL、30.49 U/mL、90.85 U/mL、212.05 U/mL、15.29 U/mL、76.32 U/mL。SDS-PAGE结果表明重组脂肪酶分子量均约28 kDa。酶学性质研究表明,重组脂肪酶PELM最适温度为35℃,最适pH为9.5,在pH7.0-10.0范围内该脂肪酶均较稳定,Ca2+和Mg2+对其有激活作用,Fe2+、Zn2+、Cu2+则有抑制作用,EDTA能使之快速失活。以不同碳链长度的对硝基苯酚酯为底物检测其底物特异性,结果显示其对中链酯(C8-C12)有较强的水解能力,最适底物为为C8的pNP酯。【结论】密码子优化后的扩展青霉脂肪酶基因在毕赤酵母中获得理想的表达,其酶活力比未优化的野生脂肪酶的提高了2.3-2.5倍,表明定点突变对其基因本身更改特有稀有密码子是实现PEL功能蛋白的异源高效表达的有效策略之一。     

NO对镉胁迫下小麦根系生长发育的生理影响

为了探究外源物一氧化氮（NO）供体硝普钠（sodium nitroprusside,SNP）对Cd²⁺胁迫下小麦根系生长发育和活性氧代谢的影响,以小麦（Triticum aestivum L.）为材料,研究10 mmol/L CdCl₂胁迫下,30 μmol/L硝普钠（含一氧化氮NO）对小麦根系生长发育和活性氧代谢的影响。结果显示,外施SNP后,Cd²⁺胁迫下的小麦根长度、鲜重与干重较单独镉胁迫处理分别上升了48.0%、107.7%和87.3%,根系超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、过氧化物酶（POD）、过氧化氢酶（CAT）、抗坏血酸过氧化物酶（APX）的活性分别上升了28.5%、7.4%、19.2%和9.8%,根中超氧自由基（O₂^.-）和过氧化氢（H₂O₂）的含量分别降低了80.5％和47.0％;同时外施SNP,使镉胁迫下小麦根中的可溶性糖含量和脯氨酸含量分别上升了24.7％和22.1%;使根中丙二醛（MDA）含量降低了30.2％;使根系活力上升了15.3%。因此,外源NO在一定程度上可以显著提高小麦根的抗氧化能力,增强小麦的抗逆性,缓解镉对小麦根系的毒害,进而促进小麦幼苗根系的生长发育。     

当归生药中两种PR-10蛋白亚型的纯化与表征

为了进一步研究当归(Angelicasinensis)生药中的蛋白质及其功能,通过80%硫酸铵沉淀、Sephadex G-50凝胶过滤层析、DEAE-Sepharose阴离子交换层析,首次从当归生药中纯化出两种分子量相近的蛋白(命名为ASPR-C-1和ASPR-C-2)。ASPR-C-1和ASPR-C-2在SDS-PAGE上的分子量分别为17.33 kDa和17.18 kDa,在溶液中主要以单体形式存在,但会部分形成二聚体,二者均为糖蛋白,糖基含量分别为2.6%和8.2%。经基质辅助激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱(MALDI-TOF-TOF?)鉴定发现ASPR-C-1和ASPR-C-2均为病程相关(Pathogenesis-related 10,PR-10)家族蛋白,且具有核糖核酸酶活性,比活分别为73.60 U/mg和146.76 U/mg。两种蛋白的最适pH相近,均为5.6左右,但最适温度不同,ASPR-C-1的为50℃,ASPR-C-2的为60℃。二者虽然在60℃下都表现出最大的酶活力稳定性,但在更高的处理温度(80–100℃)下,ASPR-C-1迅速失活,最终仅余20%左右活力,ASPR-C-2则表现出良好的热稳定性,最终仍有80%左右活力。此外,Fe²⁺对二者的酶活性具有激活作用,而Ca²⁺、Mg²⁺、Zn²⁺、Mn²⁺、Ag^+、Cu²⁺、EDTA、DTT和SDS则会不同程度地抑制二者的酶活性。研究结果为深入研究来自当归生药的PR-10蛋白的生物学功能奠定了基础。     

鳞杯伞α-半乳糖苷酶的提取纯化及酶学性质研究

采用离子交换层析和凝胶过滤层析对鳞杯伞子实体中的α-半乳糖苷酶进行纯化,得到了一种分子量为50 kDa的α-半乳糖苷酶,命名为CSG。纯化后的CSG纯化倍数为891.46倍,比活力为54.78 U/mg,得率为0.71%。通过BLAST比对液相色谱-串联质谱(LC-MS/MS)获得其肽段,发现其为GH27家族的α-半乳糖苷酶。CSG的最适pH为3.0,最适温度为50 ℃。在酸性范围pH 2.2-7.0和温度范围4-30 ℃有较好的稳定性。Mn²⁺、Cd²⁺、Cu²⁺对CSG有较强的抑制作用。半乳糖和蜜二糖对CSG的抑制类型为混合型抑制。化学修饰剂N-溴代琥珀酰亚胺显著降低CSG的活力,碳二亚胺对CSG具有显著的激活作用。该酶具有良好的蛋白酶抗性,且对棉子糖家族寡糖(RFOs)、瓜尔豆胶和赤槐豆胶均表现出良好的水解作用。     

发酵性丝孢酵母胞内脂肪酶与蛋白酶性质的研究

为了探讨发酵性丝孢酵母胞内脂肪酶和蛋白酶的潜在应用,通过超声波破碎细胞获得胞内酶,研究了温度、pH、金属离子、有机溶剂、表面活性剂、蔗糖、淀粉、酪蛋白对粗酶液的酶活力的影响.研究结果表明,两种酶的最适反应条件均为55 ℃、pH中性;5 mmol/L的金属离子Ca2+、Mn2+降低了脂肪酶活力,而提高了蛋白酶的活力;20％ (v/v)甲醇、乙醇、异丙醇、正己烷、甲苯对脂肪酶均具有激活作用,其中正己烷激活作用最大;而所试有机溶剂均严重抑制蛋白酶活力;0.01％(v/v) TritonX-100和蔗糖7.5％ (w/v)对脂肪酶和蛋白酶均具有激活作用,0.5％ (w/v)可溶性淀粉和1％ ～2.5％ (w/v)酪蛋白均能提高脂肪酶活力且降低蛋白酶活力.这些特性使发酵性丝孢酵母胞内脂肪酶和蛋白酶应用于洗涤剂具有可能性.     

破囊壶菌脂肪酶基因的克隆、双温控自诱导表达及酶学性质研究

【目的】克隆破囊壶菌Aurantiochytrium sp.PKU#SW7的脂肪酶基因,实现其在大肠杆菌细胞中异源高效表达,并进行初步酶学性质研究。【方法】基于转录组数据注释,获得脂肪酶基因lip,构建重组基因工程菌Rosetta(DE3)/p ET30-lip,利用双温控自诱导方法高效表达蛋白,表达产物(LIP)经Ni-Agarose His亲和层析柱纯化后进行酶学性质研究。【结果】从Aurantiochytrium sp.PKU#SW7中克隆得到一个大小为873 bp的脂肪酶基因(Gen Bank登录号为KT305964),该酶对p-NPB最适反应温度和pH分别为40°C和8.0。以不同浓度的金属离子Ca~(2+)和Co~(2+)溶液分别保温处理酶液30 min可使酶活提高1.3倍左右;甲醇对脂肪酶的抑制作用不明显。在最适反应条件下对p-NPP与p-NPB的酶活力分别为70.0±3.1 U/mg和102.5±2.6 U/mg。【结论】Aurantiochytrium sp.PKU#SW7脂肪酶具有良好的特性,符合生物柴油生物催化剂基本要求。     

Expression of a lipid-inducible,self-regulating form of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Yarrowia lipolytica</Emphasis> lipase <Emphasis Type="Italic">LIP2</Emphasis> in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis>

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is frequently used as a bioreactor for conversion of exogenously acquired metabolites into value-added products, but has not been utilized for bioconversion of low-cost lipids such as triacylglycerols (TAGs) because the cells are typically unable to acquire these lipid substrates from the growth media. To help circumvent this limitation, the Yarrowia lipolytica lipase 2 (LIP2) gene was cloned into S. cerevisiae expression vectors and used to generate S. cerevisiae strains that secrete active Lip2 lipase (Lip2p) enzyme into the growth media. Specifically, LIP2 expression was driven by the S. cerevisiae PEX11 promoter, which maintains basal transgene expression levels in the presence of sugars in the culture medium but is rapidly upregulated by fatty acids. Northern blotting, lipase enzyme activity assays, and gas chromatographic measurements of cellular fatty acid composition after lipid feeding all confirmed that cells transformed with the PEX11 promoter–LIP2 construct were responsive to lipids in the media, i.e., cells expressing LIP2 responded rapidly to either free fatty acids or TAGs and accumulated high levels of the corresponding fatty acids in intracellular lipids. These data provided evidence of the creation of a self-regulating positive control feedback loop that allows the cells to upregulate Lip2p production only when lipids are present in the media. Regulated, autonomous production of extracellular lipase activity is a necessary step towards the generation of yeast strains that can serve as biocatalysts for conversion of low-value lipids to value-added TAGs and other novel lipid products.     

Autocloning and amplification of LIP2 in Yarrowia lipolytica

We synthesized a Yarrowia lipolytica strain overproducing lipase for industrial applications by using long terminal repeat (zeta) of the Y. lipolytica retrotransposon Ylt1 and an allele of URA3 with a promoter deletion to construct JMP3. JMP3 is a derivative of plasmid pHSS6 carrying a NotI-NotI cassette which contains a defective URA3 allele, a polylinker sequence, and the zeta region for targeting to multiple sites in the genome of the recipient. We inserted the LIP2 gene (encoding extracellular lipase) under the control of the strong POX2 promoter into JMP3 to generate JMP6. The pHSS6 region was removed by NotI digestion prior to transformation. Two Y. lipolytica strains transformed with the JMP6 LIP2 cassette had a mean of 10 integrated copies devoid of the Escherichia coli region, corresponding to an autocloning event. The copy number in the transformants was stable even after 120 generations in nonselective and lipase-inducing conditions. The resulting strains could produce 0.5 g of active lipase per liter in the supernatant, 40 times more than the single-copy strain with the LIP2 promoter. This work provides a new expression system in Y. lipolytica that results in strains devoid of bacterial DNA and in strains producing a high level of lipase for industrial uses, waste treatment, and pancreatic insufficiency therapy.     

High-level production of extracellular lipase by Yarrowia lipolytica mutants from methyl oleate

The yeast Yarrowia lipolytica degrades efficiently low-cost hydrophobic substrates for the production of various added-value products such as lipases. To obtain yeast strains producing high levels of extracellular lipase, Y. lipolytica DSM3286 was subjected to mutation using ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) and ultraviolet (UV) light. Twenty mutants were selected out of 1600 mutants of Y. lipolytica treated with EMS and UV based on lipase production ability on selective medium. A new industrial medium containing methyl oleate was optimized for lipase production. In the 20 L bioreactor containing new industrial medium, one UV mutant (U6) produced 356 U/mL of lipase after 24h, which is about 10.5-fold higher than that produced by the wild type strain. The properties of the mutant lipase were the same as those of the wild type: molecular weight 38 kDa, optimum temperature 37°C and optimum pH 7. Furthermore, the nucleotide sequences of extracellular lipase gene (LIP2) in wild type and mutant strains were determined. Only two silent substitutions at 362 and 385 positions were observed in the ORF region of LIP2. Two single substitutions and two duplications of the T nucleotide were also detected in the promoter region. LIP2 sequence comparison of the Y. lipolytica DSM3286 and U6 strains shows good targets to effective DNA recombinant for extracellular lipase of Y. lipolytica.     

Characterization of an extracellular lipase encoded by LIP2 in Yarrowia lipolytica

We isolated the LIP2 gene from the lipolytic yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. It was found to encode a 334-amino-acid precursor protein. The secreted lipase is a 301-amino-acid glycosylated polypeptide which is a member of the triacylglycerol hydrolase family (EC 3.1.1.3). The Lip2p precursor protein is processed by the KEX2-like endoprotease encoded by XPR6. Deletion of the XPR6 gene resulted in the secretion of an active but less stable proenzyme. Thus, the pro region does not inhibit lipase secretion and activity. However, it does play an essential role in the production of a stable enzyme. Processing was found to be correct in LIP2(A) (multiple LIP2 copy integrant)-overexpressing strains, which secreted 100 times more activity than the wild type, demonstrating that XPR6 maturation was not limiting. No extracellular lipase activity was detected with the lip2 knockout (KO) strain, strongly suggesting that extracellular lipase activity results from expression of the LIP2 gene. Nevertheless, the lip2 KO strain is still able to grow on triglycerides, suggesting an alternative pathway for triglyceride utilization in Y. lipolytica.     

解脂耶氏酵母脂肪酶LIP4和LIP5在毕赤酵母中的异源表达及酶学性质

【目的】克隆解脂耶氏酵母(Yarrowia lipolytica)脂肪酶LIP4和LIP5的cDNA序列,研究其基因结构,并实现其在毕赤酵母中的功能表达,以探讨其酶学性质。【方法】利用反转录PCR首次扩增LIP4和LIP5的编码基因,用SignalP 3.0分析其基因序列,然后分别构建胞内表达载体pPIC3.5K-Lip4、pPIC3.5K-Lip5和胞外表达载体pPIC9K-Lip4、pPIC9K-Lip5,将其转入毕赤酵母GS115中表达,以NTA树脂纯化酶蛋白,研究其酶学性质。【结果】cDNA序列测序结果显示两者均不含内含子,酶蛋白的氨基酸序列中含有典型脂肪酶的活性三联体结构和五肽保守区;酶学性质研究表明,两者的最适底物均为癸酸(C8)对硝基苯酚酯,最适pH为7.0,最适温度为40℃,但LIP4对pH和温度更敏感;两者均能被Ca2+激活,且LIP5还能为Mg2+激活,但均被Hg2+、乙二胺四乙酸(EDTA)和苯甲基磺酰氟(PMSF)强烈抑制。【结论】首次克隆了解脂耶氏酵母脂肪酶LIP4和LIP5编码基因,实现了其在毕赤酵母中的活性表达,并初步研究了其酶学性质,为上述脂肪酶的应用及进一步深入研究解脂耶氏酵母脂肪酶家族奠定了基础。     

Production of lipase from Pseudomonas gessardii using blood tissue lipid and thereof for the hydrolysis of blood cholesterol and triglycerides and lysis of red blood cells

The study demonstrates the production of lipase (LIP) from Pseudomonas gessardii using blood tissue lipid as the substrate for the hydrolysis of blood cholesterol and triglycerides. The lipase was purified with the specific activity of 828 U/mg protein and the molecular weight of 56 kDa. The maximum lipase activity was observed at the pH 7.0 and the temperature 37 °C. The amino acid composition of purified lipase was determined by HPLC. The mesoporous activated carbon (MAC) was used for the immobilization of lipase for the repeated use of the enzyme catalyst. The K (m) value of immobilized lipase (MAC-LIP) and the free lipase (LIP) was 0.182 and 1.96 mM, respectively. The V (max) value of MAC-LIP and LIP was 1.33 and 1.26 mM/min, respectively. The MAC and MAC-LIP were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The hydrolysis study showed 78 and 100% hydrolysis of triglycerides and cholesterol, respectively, for LIP and 84 and 100% hydrolysis of triglycerides and cholesterol, respectively, for MAC-LIP at the reaction time of 1 h. The effect of lipase on cell wall lysis was carried out on the RBCs of blood plasma. Interestingly, 99.9% lysis of RBCs was observed within 2 h. SEM images and phase contrast microscopy confirmed the lysis of RBCs. This work provides a potential biocatalyst for the hydrolysis of blood cholesterol and triglycerides.     

Identification of essential residues for catalysis of rat intestinal phospholipase B/lipase

Intestinal brush border membrane-associated phospholipase B/lipase (PLB/LIP) consists of four tandem homologous domains (repeats 1 through 4) and a COOH-terminal membrane binding domain, and repeat 2 is the catalytic domain that catalyzes phospholipase A2, lysophospholipase, and lipase activities. We examined the structural basis of the catalysis of PLB/LIP with this unique substrate specificity by site-directed mutagenesis of recombinant repeat 2 enzyme. Ser414 and Ser459 within the active serine-containing consensus sequence G-X-S-X-G in the best-established lipase family were dispensable for activity. In contrast, substitution of Ala for Ser404 almost completely inactivated the three lipolytic activities of PLB/LIP, even though the gross conformation was not altered as determined by CD spectroscopy. Notably, this Ser is located within the conserved G-D-S-L sequence on the NH2-terminal side in lipolytic enzymes of another group proposed recently. Furthermore, mutagenesis and CD spectroscopic analyses suggested that Asp518 and His659, lying within conserved short stretches in the latter group of lipolytic enzymes, were essential for activity. These three essential residues are conserved in the known PLB/LIP enzymes, suggesting that they form the catalytic triad in the active site. These results indicate that PLB/LIP represents a distinct class of the lipase family. PLB/LIP is the first mammalian member of that family. Repeat 2 is equipped with the triad, but not the other repeats, accounting for why only repeat 2 is the catalytic domain. Replacing Thr406 with Gly, matching the enzyme's sequence to the lipase consensus sequence exactly, led to a great decrease in secretion and accumulation of inactive enzyme in the cells, suggesting a role of Thr406 in the structural stability.