Lipase

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Lipase

A lipase is a water-soluble enzyme

Enzyme

Enzymes are biomolecules that catalysis chemical reactions. Almost all enzymes are proteins. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process are called Substrate , and the enzyme converts them into different molecules, the products....
that catalyzes the hydrolysis

Hydrolysis

Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction during which one or more water are split into hydrogen and hydroxide ions which may go on to participate in further reactions....
of ester

Ester

An ester is an often Aroma compound organic chemistry or partially organic compound formed by the reaction between an acid and an alcohol or aromatic alcohol with the elimination of water....
bonds

Chemical bond

A chemical bond is the physical process responsible for the attractive interactions between atoms and molecules, and that which confers stability to diatomic and polyatomic chemical compounds....
in water–insoluble, lipid

Lipid

Lipids are broadly defined as any fat-soluble , naturally-occurring molecule, such as fats, oils, waxes, cholesterol, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins , monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others....
substrates. Lipases thus comprise a subclass of the esterase

Esterase

An esterase is a hydrolase enzyme that splits esters into an acid and an alcohol in a chemical reaction with water called hydrolysis.A wide range of different esterases exist that differ in their Substrate specificity, their protein structure, and their biological function....
s.

Lipases perform essential roles in the digestion, transport and processing of dietary lipids (e.g. triglycerides, fat

Fat

Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. Chemistry, fats are generally ester of glycerol and fatty acids....
s, oil

Oil

An oil is a chemical substance that is in a viscosity liquid state at room temperature or slightly warmer, and is both hydrophobic and lipophilic ....
s) in most- if not all- living organism

Organism

In biology, an organism is any life thing . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimulus , reproduction, growth and developmental biology, and maintenance of homeostasis as a stable whole....
s. Genes

Gênes

G?nes is the name of a d?partement in France of the First French Empire in present Italy. It was named after the city Genoa. It was formed in 1805, when Napoleon Bonaparte occupied the Republic of Genoa....
encoding lipases are even present in certain virus

Virus

A virus is a Optical microscope#Limitations of light microscopes infectious agent that is unable to grow or reproduce outside a host cell . Viruses infect all cellular life....
es.

lipases act at a specific position on the glycerol

Glycerol

Glycerol is a chemical compound also commonly called glycerin or glycerine. It is a colorless, odorless, Viscosity liquid that is widely used in pharmaceutical formulations....
backbone of lipid substrate (A₁, A₂ or A₃).

In the example of human pancreatic lipase (HPL), which is the main enzyme responsible for breaking down fat

Fat

Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. Chemistry, fats are generally ester of glycerol and fatty acids....
s in the human

Human

A human being, also human or man, is a member of a species of bipedalism primates in the family Hominidae . Mitochondrial DNA evidence indicates that modern humans originated in east Africa about 200,000 years ago....
digestive system, a lipase acts to convert triglyceride

Triglyceride

is a glyceride in which the glycerol is esterified with three fatty acids. It is the main constituent of vegetable oil and animal fats....
substrates found in oils from food to monoglyceride

Monoglyceride

A monoglyceride, more correctly known as a monoacylglycerol, is a glyceride consisting of one fatty acid chain covalently bonded to a glycerol molecule through an ester linkage....
s and free fatty acid

Fatty acid

In chemistry, especially biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid often with a long unbranched aliphatic tail , which is either saturation or Unsaturated compound....
s.

Myriad of other lipase activities exist in nature, especially when the phospholipase

Phospholipase

A phospholipase is an enzyme that hydrolyzes phospholipids into fatty acids and other lipophilic substances. There are four major classes, termed A, B, C and D distinguished by what type of reaction they catalyze:...
s and sphingomyelinases are considered.

e a diverse array of genetic

Genetics

Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of heredity and Genetic variation in living organisms. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding....
ally distinct lipase enzymes are found in nature, and represent several types of protein folds

Protein folding

Protein folding is the physical process by which a polypeptide folds into its characteristic and functional protein structure.Each protein begins as a polypeptide, translated from a sequence of mRNA as a linear chain of amino acids....
and catalytic mechanisms, most are built on an alpha/beta hydrolase fold

Alpha/beta hydrolase fold

The alpha/beta hydrolase fold is common to a number of hydrolytic enzymes of widely differing phylogenetic origin and catalytic function. The core of each enzyme is an alpha/beta-sheet , containing 8 strands connected by...
(see image) and employ a chymotrypsin

Chymotrypsin

Chymotrypsin is a digestive enzyme that can perform proteolysis. Chymotrypsin cleaves peptides at the carboxyl side of tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine because these three amino acids contain aromatic rings, which fit into a 'hydrophobic pocket' in the enzyme....
-like hydrolysis mechanism involving a serine

Serine

Serine is an organic compound with the chemical formula hydrogenoxygen2carbonCHCH2OH....
nucleophile

Nucleophile

In chemistry, a nucleophile is a reagent that forms a chemical bond to its reaction partner by donating both bonding electrons. Because nucleophiles donate electrons, they are by definition Lewis bases ....
, an acid

Acid

An acid is traditionally considered any chemical compound that, when dissolved in water, gives a solution with a hydrogen ion Activity greater than in pure water, i.e....
residue (usually aspartic acid

Aspartic acid

Aspartic acid is an a-amino acid with the chemical formula HO2CCHCH2CO2H. The carboxylate anion of aspartic acid is known as aspartate....
), and a histidine

Histidine

Histidine is one of the 20 standard amino acids present in proteins. In the nutritional sense, in humans, histidine is considered an essential amino acid, but only in children....
. Many lipases that are produced by Gram-negative bacteria require a dedicated helper protein, a lipase-specific foldase, to obtain their native, fully folded and biologically active conformation.

Physiological distribution
Lipases are involved in diverse biological processes ranging from routine metabolism of dietary

Diet (nutrition)

In nutrition, the diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat....
triglycerides to cell signaling

Cell signaling

Cell signaling is part of a complex system of communication that governs basic cellular activities and coordinates cell actions. The ability of cells to perceive and correctly respond to their microenvironment is the basis of development, tissue repair, and immunity as well as normal tissue homeostasis....
and inflammation

Inflammation

Inflammation is the complex biological response of Blood vessel tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. It is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli as well as initiate the healing process for the tissue....
.

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Encyclopedia

A lipase is a water-soluble enzyme

Enzyme

Hydrolysis

Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction during which one or more water are split into hydrogen and hydroxide ions which may go on to participate in further reactions....
of ester

Ester

Chemical bond

Lipid

Esterase

Fat

Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. Chemistry, fats are generally ester of glycerol and fatty acids....
s, oil

Oil

An oil is a chemical substance that is in a viscosity liquid state at room temperature or slightly warmer, and is both hydrophobic and lipophilic ....
s) in most- if not all- living organism

Organism

Gênes

Virus

A virus is a Optical microscope#Limitations of light microscopes infectious agent that is unable to grow or reproduce outside a host cell . Viruses infect all cellular life....
es.

Function

Most lipases act at a specific position on the glycerol

Glycerol

Fat

Human

Triglyceride

is a glyceride in which the glycerol is esterified with three fatty acids. It is the main constituent of vegetable oil and animal fats....
substrates found in oils from food to monoglyceride

Monoglyceride

Fatty acid

Phospholipase

Structure

While a diverse array of genetic

Genetics

Protein folding

Alpha/beta hydrolase fold

Chymotrypsin

Serine

Serine is an organic compound with the chemical formula hydrogenoxygen2carbonCHCH2OH....
nucleophile

Nucleophile

Acid

Aspartic acid

Aspartic acid is an a-amino acid with the chemical formula HO2CCHCH2CO2H. The carboxylate anion of aspartic acid is known as aspartate....
), and a histidine

Histidine

Physiological distribution

Lipases are involved in diverse biological processes ranging from routine metabolism of dietary

Diet (nutrition)

Cell signaling

Inflammation

Cell (biology)

The cell is the structural and functional unit of all known Life organisms. It is the smallest unit of an organism that is classified as living, and is often called the building bricks of life....
s while others work in extracellular spaces.

In the example of lysosomal lipase, the enzyme is confined within an organelle
Organelle

In cell biology, an organelle is a specialized subunit within a cell that has a specific function, and is usually separately enclosed within its own lipid membrane....
called the lysosome
Lysosome

Lysosomes are organelles that contain digestive enzymes . Some biologists say they can only be found in animal cells, but there is new evidence that supports that they may exist in plant cells....
.

Other lipase enzymes, such as pancreatic lipases, are secreted into extracellular
Extracellular

In cell biology, molecular biology and related fields, the word extracellular means "outside the cell ". This space is usually taken to be outside the plasma membranes, and occupied by fluid....
spaces where they serve to process dietary lipids into more simple forms that can be more easily absorbed and transported throughout the body.

Fungi and bacteria may secrete lipases to facilitate nutrient absorption from the external medium (or in examples of pathogenic microbes, to promote invasion of a new host).

Certain wasp and bee venoms contain phospholipase
Phospholipase

A phospholipase is an enzyme that hydrolyzes phospholipids into fatty acids and other lipophilic substances. There are four major classes, termed A, B, C and D distinguished by what type of reaction they catalyze:...
s that enhance the "biological payload" of injury and inflammation delivered by a sting.

As biological membrane
Biological membrane

A biological membrane or biomembrane is an enclosing or separating amphipathic layer that acts as a barrier within or around a cell . It is, almost invariably, a lipid bilayer, composed of a double layer of lipid-class molecules, specifically phospholipids and cholesterol, with occasional integral membrane protein intertwined, some o...
s are integral to living cells and are largely composed of phospholipid
Phospholipid

File:Phospholipid.svgFile:phospholipid_structure.pngFile:Phosphatidyl-Choline.svgPhospholipids are a class of lipids and are a major component of all cell membranes....
s, lipases play important roles in cell biology
Cell biology

Cell biology is an list of academic disciplines that studies cell s ? their physiology properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their cell cycle, cell division and apoptosis....
.

Lipases of humans

The main lipases of the human digestive system are human pancreatic lipase (HPL) and pancreatic lipase related protein 2 (PLRP2), which are secreted by the pancreas

Pancreas

The pancreas is a gland Organ in the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland , as well as an exocrine gland, secreting pancreatic juice containing Digestion enzymes that pass to the small intestine....
. Humans also have several other related enzymes, including hepatic lipase

Hepatic lipase

Hepatic lipase is a form of lipase. It is expressed in the liver and adrenal glands....
(HL), endothelial lipase

Endothelial lipase

Endothelial lipase is a form of lipase secreted by the endothelial cells.It was first characterized in 1999....
, and lipoprotein lipase

Lipoprotein lipase

Lipoprotein lipase is an enzyme that hydrolyzes lipids in lipoproteins, such as those found in chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins , into three free fatty acids and one glycerol molecule....
. Not all of these lipases function in the gut (see table).

Name	Gene	Location	Description	Disorder >- \| pancreatic lipase Pancreatic lipase Pancreatic lipase is an enzyme secreted from the pancreas that uses hydrolysis to break apart fat molecules. Bile salts secreted from the liver and stored in gallbladder are released into the duodenum where they coat and emulsify large fat droplets into smaller droplets, thus increasing the overall surface area of the fat, which allows the l...		digestive juice	In order to exhibit optimal enzyme Enzyme Enzymes are biomolecules that catalysis chemical reactions. Almost all enzymes are proteins. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process are called Substrate , and the enzyme converts them into different molecules, the products.... activity in the gut lumen, HPL requires another protein, colipase Colipase Colipase is a protein co-enzyme required for optimal enzyme activity of pancreatic lipase. It is secreted by the pancreas in an inactive form, procolipase, which is activated in the intestinal lumen by trypsin.... , which is also secreted by the pancreas.	- \| lysosomal lipase Lysosomal lipase Lysosomal lipase is a form of lipase which functions intracellularly, in the lysosomes....		interior space of organelle Organelle In cell biology, an organelle is a specialized subunit within a cell that has a specific function, and is usually separately enclosed within its own lipid membrane.... : lysosome Lysosome Lysosomes are organelles that contain digestive enzymes . Some biologists say they can only be found in animal cells, but there is new evidence that supports that they may exist in plant cells....	Also referred to as lysosomal acid lipase (LAL or LIPA) or acid cholesteryl ester hydrolase	Cholesteryl ester storage disease Cholesteryl ester storage disease Cholesteryl ester storage disease is an rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease that results from storage of cholesteryl esters and triglycerides in cells in the blood and lymph and lymphoid tissue.... (CESD) and Wolman disease Wolman disease Wolman disease is a rare autosomal recessive lipid storage disease that is usually fatal at a very young age. It is in the family of lysosomal storage diseases.... are both caused by mutations in the gene encoding lysosomal lipase. \|- \| hepatic lipase Hepatic lipase Hepatic lipase is a form of lipase. It is expressed in the liver and adrenal glands....		endothelium Endothelium The endothelium is the thin layer of cell that line the interior surface of blood vessels, forming an interface between circulating blood in the lumen and the rest of the vessel wall....	Hepatic lipase acts on the remaining lipid Lipid Lipids are broadly defined as any fat-soluble , naturally-occurring molecule, such as fats, oils, waxes, cholesterol, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins , monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others.... s carried on lipoproteins in the blood to regenerate LDL (low density lipoprotein Low density lipoprotein Low-density lipoprotein is a type of lipoprotein that transports cholesterol and triglycerides from the liver to peripheral tissues. LDL is one of the five major groups of lipoproteins; these groups include chylomicrons, very low-density lipoprotein , intermediate-density lipoprotein , low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein ,... ).	- \| lipoprotein lipase Lipoprotein lipase Lipoprotein lipase is an enzyme that hydrolyzes lipids in lipoproteins, such as those found in chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins , into three free fatty acids and one glycerol molecule....		endothelium Endothelium The endothelium is the thin layer of cell that line the interior surface of blood vessels, forming an interface between circulating blood in the lumen and the rest of the vessel wall....	Lipoprotein lipase Lipoprotein lipase Lipoprotein lipase is an enzyme that hydrolyzes lipids in lipoproteins, such as those found in chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins , into three free fatty acids and one glycerol molecule.... functions in the blood Blood Blood is a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's Cell s ? such as nutrients and oxygen ? and transports waste products away from those same cells.... to act on triacylglycerides carried on VLDL (very low density lipoprotein Lipoprotein A lipoprotein is a biochemistry assembly that contains both proteins and lipids. The lipids or their derivatives may be covalently or non-covalently bound to the proteins.... ) so that cells can take up the freed fatty acid Fatty acid In chemistry, especially biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid often with a long unbranched aliphatic tail , which is either saturation or Unsaturated compound.... s.	Lipoprotein lipase deficiency Lipoprotein lipase deficiency Lipoprotein lipase deficiency, also known as Hyperlipidemia#Hyperlipoproteinemia_type_I, is caused by a mutation in the gene which codes lipoprotein lipase.... is caused by mutation Mutation In biology, mutations are changes to the nucleotide sequence of the genetic material of an organism. Mutations can be caused by copying errors in the genetic material during cell division, by exposure to ultraviolet or ionizing radiation, chemical mutagens, or virus , or can be induced by the organism, itself, by cellular processes such as s... s in the gene Gene A gene is the basic unit of heredity in a living organism. All living things depend on genes. Genes hold the information to build and maintain their cell and pass genetic trait to offspring.... encoding lipoprotein lipase Lipoprotein lipase Lipoprotein lipase is an enzyme that hydrolyzes lipids in lipoproteins, such as those found in chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins , into three free fatty acids and one glycerol molecule.... . \|- \| hormone-sensitive lipase Hormone-sensitive lipase Lipase, hormone-sensitive also known as LIPE is an enzyme which in humans is encoded by the LIPE gene.LIPE is an intracellular neutral lipase that is capable of hydrolyzing a variety of esters....		intracellular Intracellular Not to be confused with intercellular, meaning "between cells".In cell biology, molecular biology and related fields, the word intracellular means "inside the cell "....	-	- \| gastric lipase Gastric lipase Gastric lipase, also known as LIPF, is an enzyme protein that, in humans, is encode by the LIPF gene....		digestive juice	Functions in the infant at a near-neutral pH to aid in the digestion of lipids	- \| endothelial lipase Endothelial lipase Endothelial lipase is a form of lipase secreted by the endothelial cells.It was first characterized in 1999....		endothelium Endothelium The endothelium is the thin layer of cell that line the interior surface of blood vessels, forming an interface between circulating blood in the lumen and the rest of the vessel wall....	-	- \| pancreatic lipase related protein 2		digestive juice	-	- \| pancreatic lipase related protein 1		digestive juice	Pancreatic lipase related protein 1 is very similar to PLRP2 and HPL by amino acid sequence (all three genes probably arose via gene duplication Gene duplication Gene duplication is any duplication of a region of DNA that contains a gene; it may occur as an error in homologous recombination, a retrotransposon event, or duplication of an entire chromosome.... of a single ancestral pancreatic lipase gene). However, PLRP1 is devoid of detectable lipase activity and its function remains unknown, even though it is conserved in other mammal Mammal Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose name is derived from their distinctive feature, mammary glands, with which they feed their young.... s.	-	lingual lipase Lingual lipase Lingual lipase is a member of a family of digestive enzymes called lipases, EC 3.1.1.3, that use the catalytic triad of Aspartate , Histidine , and Serine to hydrolyze long-chain triglycerides into partial glycerides and free fatty acids....	?	digestive juice	-	-

Other lipases include , , , , , , , , , and .

There also are a diverse array of phospholipase

Phospholipase

A phospholipase is an enzyme that hydrolyzes phospholipids into fatty acids and other lipophilic substances. There are four major classes, termed A, B, C and D distinguished by what type of reaction they catalyze:...
s, but these are not always classified with the other lipases.

Industrial Uses

Lipases from fungi and bacteria

Bacteria

The Bacteria are a large group of unicellular microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals....
serve important roles in human practices as ancient as yogurt and cheese fermentation. However, lipases are also being exploited as cheap and versatile catalysts to degrade lipids in more modern applications. For instance, a biotechnology

Biotechnology

Biotechnology is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food science, and medicine. United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity defines biotechnology as:...
company has brought recombinant lipase enzymes to market for use in applications such as baking, laundry detergents and even as biocatalysts in alternative energy

Alternative energy

Alternative energy is an umbrella term that refers to any source of usable energy intended to replace fuel sources without the undesired consequences of the replaced fuels....
strategies to convert vegetable oil into fuel.

Additional images

External links

- Phospholipases A2 - Outer membrane phospholipase A - Cytosolic phospholipase A2 and patatin - Bacterial and mammalian phospolipases C - a-toxin (a bacterial phospholipase C)

Lipase

Function

Structure

Physiological distribution

Lipases of humans

Industrial Uses

Additional images

See also

External links