Fervidobacterium changbaicum Lip1: identification, cloning, and characterization of the thermophilic lipase as a new member of bacterial lipase family V

A novel lipase gene encoded 315 amino acid residues was obtained using lipase-prospecting primers and genome walking from hyperthermophilic bacterium Fervidobacterium changbaicum CBS-1. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis revealed this novel lipase is a new member of bacterial lipase family V. The recombinant enzyme F. changbaicum lipase 1 (FCLip1) showed maximum activity at 78°C and pH 7.8. It displayed extreme thermostability at 70°C and was also stable across a wide pH range from 6.0 to 12.0. Kinetic study demonstrated FCLip1 preferentially hydrolyzed middle-length acyl chains, especially p -nitrophenyl caprate and tricaprylin. With p -nitrophenyl caprate as a substrate, the enzyme exhibited a K m and k cat of 4.67 μM and 22.7/s, respectively. In addition, FCLip1 was resistant to various detergents and organic solvents. This enzyme is the first reported thermophilic lipase from bacterial family Thermotogaceae . Its extreme stability with respect to temperature and pH, along with its triglyceride hydrolysis activity, indicate that FCLip1 has high potential for future application.