Solvent tolerant Pseudomonads as a source of novel lipases for applications in non-aqueous systems

Abstract

Lipases (triacylglycerol acylhydrolases, EC 3.1.1.3) are ubiquitous biocatalysts known to catalyze the hydrolysis of water insoluble triglycerides in aqueous medium and carry out the reverse reaction (synthesis) under organic solvent rich medium. Microbial lipases have received a great deal of attention in the field of food technology, pharmaceutical sciences, chemical and detergent industries due to their stability, selectivity, mild operation conditions and broad substrate specificity. Despite these advantages, low activity and stability displayed in organic medium has restricted their commercial application in organic synthesis. Researchers have explored alternative ways to modify the enzymes making them suitable for use in non-conventional media. In this context, harvesting lipases from “Solvent Tolerant Microbes” has recently become an attractive approach. These microbes are able to grow in the presence of high concentrations of organic solvents, generally known to have detrimental effect on microorganisms. Such microbes survive through novel adaptation mechanisms and secretion of solvent stable enzymes having efficient functionality in solvent-rich media. These enzymes could be useful for bioconversion in non-conventional media. In the current review, this approach is described with an emphasis on characteristics, applications and genetic aspect of lipases from the genus Pseudomonas.

Keywords::

• Pseudomonas
• lipase
• solvent-tolerant microorganisms
• solvent stable
• non-aqueous enzymology

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support from the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India Organization. R. Gaur is thankful to the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper. The financial support was provided by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India Organization, and author R.Gaur's work was supported by a research fellowship from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.