Improvement of catalytic activity of Aspergillus terreus lipase by site-directed mutagenesis

Abstract

The catalytic activity of Aspergillus terreus lipase (ATL) was improved by rational design. According to the sequence analysis and homologous modeling, several amino acids involved in the lid domain and substrate binding pocket domains of the acidic lipase ATL were mutated by site-directed mutagenesis, and eight mutants were constructed. These mutants and the wild type lipase ATL were expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115 and the enzymatic properties were characterized. The mutants ATLLid and ATLV218W exhibited higher hydrolytic activity than ATL towards p-nitrophenyl laurate. The kcat values of ATLLid and ATLV218W towards p-nitrophenyl laurate were 39.37- and 50.79-fold higher, and the kcat/Km values were 2.85- and 8.48-fold higher than the wild type, respectively. Although thermostability of these mutants decreased slightly, ATLLid and ATLV218W still exhibited the maximum activity at pH 5.0 and high stability in a broad range of pH (4.0-8.0), which were similar to the wild type. Using homologous modeling and molecular docking technology the mechanism for the improvement of catalytic activity was analyzed. These findings not only shed light on the relationship between the lid domain/substrate binding pocket domain and catalytic activity but also provided comprehensive scheme for further engineering to gain more efficient lipases.