Exploring the Industrial Importance of Lipases

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Lipases are particularly important due to the fact that they specifically hydrolyze acyl glycerol, oils and greases, which is of great interest for different industrial applications.
A lipase is any enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of fats. Lipases are a subclass of the esterase.
Lipases perform essential roles in the digestion; transport and processing of dietary lipids (e.g. triglycerides, fats, oils) in most, if not all, living organisms. Genes encoding lipases are even present in certain viruses.
Most lipases act at a specific position on the glycerol backbone of a lipid substrate (A1, A2 or A3)(small intestine). For example, human pancreatic lipase(HPL), which is the main enzyme that breaks down dietary fats in the human digestive …show more content…

Thus, some lipase activities are confined to specific compartments within cells while others work in extracellular spaces.
• In the example of lysosomal lipase, the enzyme is confined within an organelle called the lysosome.
• Other lipase enzymes, such as pancreatic lipases, are secreted into extra cellular 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 phospholipases that enhance the effects of injury and inflammation delivered by a sting.
• As biological membranes are integral to living cells and are largely composed of phospholipids, lipases play important roles in cell biology.
• Malassezia globosa, a fungus that is thought to be the cause of human dandruff, uses lipase to break down sebum into oleic acid and increase skin cell production, causing

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