Biochemical characterization of Yarrowia lipolytica LIP8, a secreted lipase with a cleavable C-terminal region.

Yarrowia lipolytica is a lipolytic yeast possessing 16 paralog genes coding for lipases. Little information on these lipases has been obtained and only the major secreted lipase, namely YLLIP2, had been biochemically and structurally characterized. Another secreted lipase, YLLIP8, was isolated from Y. lipolytica culture medium and compared with the recombinant enzyme produced in Pichia pastoris. N-terminal sequencing showed that YLLIP8 is produced in its active form after the cleavage of a signal peptide. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that YLLIP8 recovered from culture medium lacks a C-terminal part of 33 amino acids which are present in the coding sequence. A 3D model of YLLIP8 built from the X-ray structure of the homologous YLLIP2 lipase shows that these truncated amino acids in YLLIP8 belong to an additional C-terminal region predicted to be mainly helical. Western blot analysis shows that YLLIP8 C-tail is rapidly cleaved upon enzyme secretion since both cell-bound and culture supernatant lipases lack this extension. Mature recombinant YLLIP8 displays a true lipase activity on short-, medium- and long-chain triacylglycerols (TAG), with an optimum activity at alkaline pH on medium chain TAG. It has no apparent regioselectivity in TAG hydrolysis, thus generating glycerol and FFAs as final lipolysis products. YLLIP8 properties are distinct from those of the 1,3-regioselective YLLIP2, acting optimally at acidic pH. These lipases are tailored for complementary roles in fatty acid uptake by Y. lipolytica.

In situ monitoring of galactolipid digestion by infrared spectroscopy in both model micelles and spinach chloroplasts.

Galactolipids are the main lipids from plant photosynthetic membranes and they can be digested by pancreatic lipase related protein 2 (PLRP2), an enzyme found in the pancreatic secretion in many animal species. Here, we used transmission Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to monitor continuously the hydrolysis of galactolipids by PLRP2, in situ and in real time. The method was first developed with a model substrate, a synthetic monogalactosyl diacylglycerol with 8-carbon acyl chains (C8-MGDG), in the form of mixed micelles with a bile salt, sodium taurodeoxycholate (NaTDC). The concentrations of the residual substrate and reaction products (monogalactosylmonoglyceride, MGMG; monogalactosylglycerol, MGG; octanoic acid) were estimated from the carbonyl and carboxylate vibration bands after calibration with reference standards. The results were confirmed by thin layer chromatography analysis (TLC) and specific staining of galactosylated compounds with thymol and sulfuric acid. The method was then applied to the lipolysis of more complex substrates, a natural extract of MGDG with long acyl chains, micellized with NaTDC, and intact chloroplasts isolated from spinach leaves. After a calibration performed with α-linolenic acid, the main fatty acid (FA) found in plant galactolipids, FTIR allowed quantitative measurement of chloroplast lipolysis by PLRP2. A full release of FA from membrane galactolipids was observed, that was not dependent on the presence of bile salts. Nevertheless, the evolution of amide vibration band in FTIR spectra suggested the interaction of membrane proteins with NaTDC and lipolysis products.

IR spectroscopy analysis of pancreatic lipase-related protein 2 interaction with phospholipids: 3. Monitoring DPPC lipolysis in mixed micelles.

Usual methods for the continuous assay of lipolytic enzyme activities are mainly based on the titration of free fatty acids, surface pressure monitoring or spectrophotometry using substrates labeled with specific probes. These approaches only give a partial information on the chemistry of the lipolysis reaction and additional end-point analyses are often required to quantify both residual substrate and lipolysis products. We used transmission infrared (IR) spectroscopy to monitor simultaneously the hydrolysis of phospholipids by guinea pig pancreatic lipase-related protein 2 (GPLRP2) and the release of lipolysis products. The substrate (DPPC, 1,2-Dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine) was mixed with sodium taurodeoxycholate (NaTDC) to form mixed micelles in D2O buffer at pD 6 and 8. After hydrogen/deuterium exchange, DPPC hydrolysis by GPLRP2 (100nM) was monitored at 35°C in a liquid cell by recording IR spectra and time-course variations in the CO stretching region. These changes were correlated to variations in the concentrations of DPPC, lysophospholipids (lysoPC) and palmitic acid (Pam) using calibration curves established with these compounds individually mixed with NaTDC. We were thus able to quantify each compound and its time-course variations during the phospholipolysis reaction and to estimate the enzyme activity. To validate the IR analysis, variations in residual DPPC, lysoPC and Pam were also quantified by thin-layer chromatography coupled to densitometry and similar hydrolysis profiles were obtained using both methods. IR spectroscopy can therefore be used to monitor the enzymatic hydrolysis of phospholipids and obtain simultaneously chemical and physicochemical information on substrate and all reaction products (H-bonding, hydration, acyl chain mobility).

IR spectroscopy analysis of pancreatic lipase-related protein 2 interaction with phospholipids: 1. Discriminative recognition of mixed micelles versus liposomes.

Guinea pig pancreatic lipase-related protein 2 (GPLRP2) is an interesting model enzyme that can hydrolyze a large set of acylglycerols in vitro but displays however some selectivity depending on the supramolecular structure of substrate and the presence of surfactants like bile salts. We showed that GPLRP2 hydrolyzes 1,2-dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) present in mixed micelles with sodium taurodeoxycholate (NaTDC) but not in multilamellar (MLV) and large unilamellar (LUV) vesicles of DPPC. After characterization of these lipid aggregates by dynamic light scattering (DLS), the discriminative recognition of DPPC in DPPC/NaTDC micelles versus MLV and LUV by an inactive variant (S152G) of GPLRP2 to avoid the effect of substrate hydrolysis was investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). IR spectra were recorded after hydrogen/deuterium exchange, at pD 6 and various temperatures to study phase transitions. We analyzed the methylene asymmetric stretching (ν(CH2)as), the carbonyl stretching (ν(CO)) and the composite polar head-group vibration bands, first to characterized differences in DPPC micelles and vesicles, and second to estimate the degree of interaction of GPLRP2 S152G with phospholipid. Our results indicate that a significant interaction between GPLRP2 S152G and DPPC is only observed when NaTDC is added to the system to form micelles and this can be explained by the different organization of DPPC in mixed micelles compared to lamellar vesicles (higher hydration of polar head, higher mobility of alkyl chains) that favors GPLRP2 penetration into the phospholipid layer.

IR spectroscopy analysis of pancreatic lipase-related protein 2 interaction with phospholipids: 2. Discriminative recognition of various micellar systems and characterization of PLRP2-DPPC-bile salt complexes.

The interaction of pancreatic lipase-related protein 2 (PLRP2) with various micelles containing phospholipids was investigated using pHstat enzyme activity measurements, differential light scattering, size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and transmission IR spectroscopy. Various micelles of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) and lysophosphatidylcholine were prepared with either bile salts (sodium taurodeoxycholate or glycodeoxycholate) or Triton X-100, which are substrate-dispersing agents commonly used for measuring phospholipase activities. PLRP2 displayed a high activity on all phospholipid-bile salt micelles, but was totally inactive on phospholipid-Triton X-100 micelles. These findings clearly differentiate PLRP2 from secreted pancreatic phospholipase A2 which is highly active on both types of micelles. Using an inactive variant of PLRP2, SEC experiments allowed identifying two populations of PLRP2-DPPC-bile salt complexes corresponding to a high molecular weight 1:1 PLRP2-micelle association and to a low molecular weight association of PLRP2 with few monomers of DPPC/bile salts. IR spectroscopy analysis showed how DPPC-bile salt micelles differ from DPPC-Triton X-100 micelles by a higher fluidity of acyl chains and higher hydration/H-bonding of the interfacial carbonyl region. The presence of bile salts allowed observing changes in the IR spectrum of DPPC upon addition of PLRP2 (higher rigidity of acyl chains, dehydration of the interfacial carbonyl region), while no change was observed with Triton X-100. The differences between these surfactants and their impact on substrate recognition by PLRP2 are discussed, as well as the mechanism by which high and low molecular weight PLRP2-DPPC-bile salt complexes may be involved in the overall process of DPPC hydrolysis.

Water-in-oil microemulsions versus emulsions as carriers of hydroxytyrosol: an in vitro gastrointestinal lipolysis study using the pHstat technique.

Water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsions and emulsions based on medium chain triglycerides (MCT) were successfully formulated with the addition of emulsifiers and used as encapsulation matrices for hydroxytyrosol (HT), an antioxidant naturally found in extra virgin olive oil. The digestibility of these edible W/O dispersions by recombinant dog gastric lipase (rDGL) and porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL) was then tested at different pH values using a pHstat device. rDGL and PPL displayed a much lower activity on the W/O microemulsion than that on the W/O emulsion and MCT alone. This was explained by the presence of higher amounts of emulsifiers (4.9% w/w lecithin and monoglycerides) in the composition of W/O microemulsions compared to W/O emulsions (1.3% w/w emulsifiers). These surfactants also induced a shift of maximum lipase activity towards lower pH values, which usually reflects the competition between surfactants and lipases for binding at the lipid-water interface. rDGL and PPL were then used consecutively in a two-step digestion model mimicking the conditions found in the human gastrointestinal tract. Direct titration and back-titration of free fatty acids allowed the continuous estimation of lipolysis rates under both gastric and duodenal conditions. Gastric lipolysis of W/O microemulsions was reduced 6 to 9-fold compared to W/O emulsions. This inhibition had a major impact on the overall lipolysis, although duodenal lipolysis was less affected by the dispersion type. The presence of HT had also some minor effects on lipolysis rates.

A Cutinase from Trichoderma reesei with a lid-covered active site and kinetic properties of true lipases.

Cutinases belong to the α/ß-hydrolase fold family of enzymes and degrade cutin and various esters, including triglycerides, phospholipids and galactolipids. Cutinases are able to degrade aggregated and soluble substrates because, in contrast with true lipases, they do not have a lid covering their catalytic machinery. We report here the structure of a cutinase from the fungus Trichoderma reesei (Tr) in native and inhibitor-bound conformations, along with its enzymatic characterization. A rare characteristic of Tr cutinase is its optimal activity at acidic pH. Furthermore, Tr cutinase, in contrast with classical cutinases, possesses a lid covering its active site and requires the presence of detergents for activity. In addition to the presence of the lid, the core of the Tr enzyme is very similar to other cutinase cores, with a central five-stranded ß-sheet covered by helices on either side. The catalytic residues form a catalytic triad involving Ser164, His229 and Asp216 that is covered by the two N-terminal helices, which form the lid. This lid opens in the presence of surfactants, such as ß-octylglucoside, and uncovers the catalytic crevice, allowing a C11Y4 phosphonate inhibitor to bind to the catalytic serine. Taken together, these results reveal Tr cutinase to be a member of a new group of lipolytic enzymes resembling cutinases but with kinetic and structural features of true lipases and a heightened specificity for long-chain triglycerides.

High-throughput screening method for lipases/esterases.

High-throughput screening (HTS) methods for lipases and esterases are generally performed by using synthetic chromogenic substrates (e.g., p-nitrophenyl, resorufin, and umbelliferyl esters) which may be misleading since they are not their natural substrates (e.g., partially or insoluble triglycerides). In previous works, we have shown that soluble nonchromogenic substrates and p-nitrophenol (as a pH indicator) can be used to quantify the hydrolysis and estimate the substrate selectivity of lipases and esterases from several sources. However, in order to implement a spectrophotometric HTS method using partially or insoluble triglycerides, it is necessary to find particular conditions which allow a quantitative detection of the enzymatic activity. In this work, we used Triton X-100, CHAPS, and N-lauroyl sarcosine as emulsifiers, ß-cyclodextrin as a fatty acid captor, and two substrate concentrations, 1 mM of tributyrin (TC4) and 5 mM of trioctanoin (TC8), to improve the test conditions. To demonstrate the utility of this method, we screened 12 enzymes (commercial preparations and culture broth extracts) for the hydrolysis of TC4 and TC8, which are both classical substrates for lipases and esterases (for esterases, only TC4 may be hydrolyzed). Subsequent pH-stat experiments were performed to confirm the preference of substrate hydrolysis with the hydrolases tested. We have shown that this method is very useful for screening a high number of lipases (hydrolysis of TC4 and TC8) or esterases (only hydrolysis of TC4) from wild isolates or variants generated by directed evolution using nonchromogenic triglycerides directly in the test.