Effect of colipase on adsorption and activity of rat pancreatic lipase on emulsified tributyrin in the presence of bile salt

Balanced lipase interactions for degradation-controlled paclitaxel release from lipid cubic phase formulations

Lipid cubic phase (LCP) formulations enhance the intestinal solubility and bioavailability of hydrophobic drugs by reducing precipitation and facilitating their mass transport to the intestinal surface for absorption. LCPs with an ester linkage connecting the acyl chain to the glycerol backbone (monoacylglycerols), are susceptible to chemical digestion by several lipolytic enzymes including lipases, accelerating the release of hydrophobic agents from the lipid bilayers of the matrix. Unlike regular enzymes that transform soluble substrates, lipolytic enzymes act at the interface of water and insoluble lipid. Therefore, compounds that bind to this interface can enhance or inhibit the activity of enzymes to varying extent. Here, we explore how the lipolysis rate can be tuned by the interfacial interaction of porcine pancreatic lipase with monoolein LCPs containing a known lipase inhibitor, tetrahydrolipstatin. Release of the Biopharmaceutical Classification System (BCS) class IV drug, paclitaxel, from the inhibitor-modified LCP was examined in the presence of lipase and its effectors colipase and calcium. By combining experimental dynamic digestion studies, thermodynamic measurements and molecular dynamics simulations of the competitive inhibition of lipase by tetrahydrolipstatin, we reveal the role and mode of action of lipase effectors in creating a precisely-balanced degradation-controlled LCP release system for the poorly soluble paclitaxel drug.

Biochemical properties of pancreatic colipase from the common stingray Dasyatis pastinaca

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic colipase is a required co-factor for pancreatic lipase, being necessary for its activity during hydrolysis of dietary triglycerides in the presence of bile salts. In the intestine, colipase is cleaved from a precursor molecule, procolipase, through the action of trypsin. This cleavage yields a peptide called enterostatin knoswn, being produced in equimolar proportions to colipase.

RESULTS

In this study, colipase from the common stingray Dasyatis pastinaca (CoSPL) was purified to homogeneity. The purified colipase is not glycosylated and has an apparent molecular mass of around 10 kDa. The NH2-terminal sequencing of purified CoSPL exhibits more than 55% identity with those of mammalian, bird or marine colipases. CoSPL was found to be less effective activator of bird and mammal pancreatic lipases than for the lipase from the same specie. The apparent dissociation constant (Kd) of the colipase/lipase complex and the apparent Vmax of the colipase-activated lipase values were deduced from the linear curves of the Scatchard plots. We concluded that Stingray Pancreatic Lipase (SPL) has higher ability to interact with colipase from the same species than with the mammal or bird ones.

CONCLUSION

The fact that colipase is a universal lipase cofactor might thus be explained by a conservation of the colipase-lipase interaction site. The results obtained in the study may improve our knowledge of marine lipase/colipase.

Modification of pancreatic lipase properties by directed molecular evolution

Cystic fibrosis is associated with pancreatic insufficiency and acidic intraluminal conditions that limit the action of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy, especially that of lipase. Directed evolution combined with rational design was used in the aim of improving the performances of the human pancreatic lipase at acidic pH. We set up a method for screening thousands of lipase variants for activity at low pH. A single round of random mutagenesis yielded one lipase variant with an activity at acidic pH enhanced by approximately 50% on medium- and long-chain triglycerides. Sequence analysis revealed two substitutions (E179G/N406S) located in specific regions, the hydrophobic groove accommodating the sn-1 chain of the triglyceride (E179G) and the surface loop that is likely to mediate lipase/colipase interaction in the presence of lipids (N406S). Interestingly, these two substitutions shifted the chain-length specificity of lipase toward medium- and long-chain triglycerides. Combination of those two mutations with a promising one at the entrance of the catalytic cavity (K80E) negatively affected the lipase activity at neutral pH but not that at acidic pH. Our results provide a basis for the design of improved lipase at acidic pH and identify for the first time key residues associated with chain-length specificity.

Computational study of colipase interaction with lipid droplets and bile salt micelles

Colipase is a key element in the lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of dietary lipids. Although devoid of enzymatic activity, colipase promotes the pancreatic lipase activity in physiological intestinal conditions by anchoring the enzyme at the surface of lipid droplets. Analysis of structures of NMR colipase models and simulations of their interactions with various lipid aggregates, lipid droplet, and bile salt micelle, were carried out to determine and to map the lipid binding sites on colipase. We show that the micelle and the oil droplet bind to the same side of colipase 3D structure, mainly the hydrophobic fingers. Moreover, it appears that, although colipase has a single direction of interaction with a lipid interface, it does not bind in a specific way but rather oscillates between different positions. Indeed, different NMR models of colipase insert different fragments of sequence in the interface, either simultaneously or independently. This supports the idea that colipase finger plasticity may be crucial to adapt the lipase activity to different lipid aggregates.

Biochemical and structural comparative study between bird and mammal pancreatic colipases

Three colipases were purified from pancreas of two birds (ostrich and turkey) and one mammal (dromedary). After acidic and/or heat treatment and precipitation by sulfate ammonium and then ethanol, cofactors were purified by Sephadex G-50 gel filtration followed by ion-exchange chromatography first on Mono S and then on Mono Q. One molecular form was obtained from each species with a molecular mass of approximately 10 kDa. Cofactors were not glycosylated. The N-terminal sequences of the three purified cofactors showed high sequence homology. A 90 amino acid sequence of the ostrich cofactor was established based on peptide sequences from four different digests of the denaturated protein using trypsin, chymotrypsin, thermolysin, or staphylococcal protease. This sequence exhibited a high degree of homology with chicken and mammal cofactors. Bile salt-inhibited pancreatic lipases from five species were activated to variable extents by colipases from bird and mammal origins. The bird pancreatic lipase-colipase system appears to be functionally similar to homologous lipolytic systems from higher mammals. Our comparative study showed that mammal colipase presents a lower activation level toward bird lipases than the bird counterpart. Three-dimensional modeling of ostrich colipase suggested a structural explanation of this fact.

Time-resolved fluorescence allows selective monitoring of Trp30 environmental changes in the seven-Trp-containing human pancreatic lipase

Human pancreatic lipase (HPL, triacylglycerol acylhydrolase, EC 3.1.1.3) is a carboxyl esterase which hydrolyzes insoluble emulsified triglycerides and is essential for the efficient digestion of dietary fats. Though the three-dimensional structure of this enzyme has been determined, monitoring the conformational changes that may accompany the binding of various substrates and inhibitors is still of interest. Because of its sensitivity and ease of use, fluorescence spectroscopy of the intrinsic Trp residues is ideally suited for this purpose. However, the presence of seven Trp residues spread all over the HPL structure renders the interpretation of the fluorescence changes difficult with respect to the identification and location of the conformational or environmental changes taking place at the various Trp residues. In this context, the aim of this work was to investigate the contribution of the individual Trp residues to the fluorescence properties of HPL. To this end, we analyzed the steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence parameters of five single-point mutants in which one Trp residue was substituted with a weakly fluorescent Phe residue. In addition to the Trp residues at positions 30, 86, and 252, strategically located with respect to the active site, we also mutated Trp residues at positions 17 and 402, as representative residues of the HPL N- and C-terminal domains, respectively. Taken together, our data suggested that the solvent-exposed Trp30 residue contributed to at least 44% of the overall fluorescence of wild-type HPL. Moreover, we found that the long-lived fluorescence lifetime (6.77 ns) of wild-type HPL could be specifically attributed to Trp30, a feature that enables selective monitoring of its environmental changes. Additionally, Trp residues at positions 17 and 402 strongly contributed to the 1.61 ns lifetime of HPL, while Trp residues at positions 86 and 252 contributed to the 0.29 ns lifetime.

Critical role of micelles in pancreatic lipase activation revealed by small angle neutron scattering

In the duodenum, pancreatic lipase (PL) develops its activity on triglycerides by binding to the bile-emulsified oil droplets in the presence of its protein cofactor pancreatic colipase (PC). The neutron crystal structure of a PC-PL-micelle complex (Hermoso, J., Pignol, D., Penel, S., Roth, M., Chapus, C., and Fontecilla-Camps, J. C. (1997) EMBO J. 16, 5531-5536) has suggested that the stabilization of the enzyme in its active conformation and its adsorption to the emulsified oil droplets are mediated by a preformed lipase-colipase-micelle complex. Here, we correlate the ability of different amphypathic compounds to activate PL, with their association with PC-PL in solution. The method of small angle neutron scattering with D(2)O/H(2)O contrast variation was used to characterize a solution containing PC-PL complex and taurodeoxycholate micelles. The resulting radius of gyration (56 A) and the match point of the solution indicate the formation of a ternary complex that is similar to the one observed in the neutron crystal structure. In addition, we show that either bile salts, lysophospholipids, or nonionic detergents that form micelles with radii of gyration ranging from 13 to 26 A are able to bind to the PC-PL complex, whereas smaller micelles or nonmicellar compounds are not. This further supports the notion of a micelle size-dependent affinity process for lipase activation in vivo.

Lipase activation by nonionic detergents. The crystal structure of the porcine lipase-colipase-tetraethylene glycol monooctyl ether complex

The crystal structure of the ternary porcine lipase-colipase-tetra ethylene glycol monooctyl ether (TGME) complex has been determined at 2.8 A resolution. The crystals belong to the cubic space group F23 with a = 289.1 A and display a strong pseudo-symmetry corresponding to a P23 lattice. Unexpectedly, the crystalline two-domain lipase is found in its open configuration. This indicates that in the presence of colipase, pure micelles of the nonionic detergent TGME are able to activate the enzyme; a process that includes the movement of an N-terminal domain loop (the flap). The effects of TGME and colipase have been confirmed by chemical modification of the active site serine residue using diisopropyl p-nitrophenylphosphate (E600). In addition, the presence of a TGME molecule tightly bound to the active site pocket shows that TGME acts as a substrate analog, thus possibly explaining the inhibitory effect of this nonionic detergent on emulsified substrate hydrolysis at submicellar concentrations. A comparison of the lipase-colipase interactions between our porcine complex and the human-porcine complex (van Tilbeurgh, H., Egloff, M.-P., Martinez, C., Rugani, N., Verger, R., and Cambillau, C.(1993) Nature 362, 814-820) indicates that except for one salt bridge interaction, they are conserved. Analysis of the superimposed complexes shows a 5.4 degrees rotation on the relative position of the N-terminal domains excepting the flap that moves in a concerted fashion with the C-terminal domain. This flexibility may be important for the binding of the complex to the water-lipid interface.

Esterase activity of synthetic fragments of human adrenocorticotrophic hormone

The anterior pituitary hormone adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH) has been extensively studied in terms of structure-function relationships and in vivo and in vitro activities of different synthetic fragments of ACTH have been characterized. Here we describe the ability of synthetic fragments of ACTH to hydrolyze a fluorogenic esterase substrate 4-methylumbelliferyloleate (MUBO). The measured esterase activities (in mumol 4-MU mol-1 s-1) were 79.7 for ACTH1-13, 385.9 for ACTH3-18, 503.0 for ACTH1-19, 1249.9 for ACTH1-24 D-ser3, and 1350 for ACTH1-24. Although the significance of the observed esterase activities in the actual molecular mechanisms of action of ACTH remains to be established it is worth noticing that the esterase activities of the different ACTH fragments closely parallel their reported ability to activate the brain lipase as well as their in vivo ability to induce steroidogenesis in adrenal cortex.

Spectrofluorimetric study of the bile salt micelle binding site of pig and horse colipases

Pig and horse colipases contain three tyrosine residues. In addition, horse colipase possesses a tryptophan residue. Some of the tyrosine residues are involved in the association of colipase and a bile salt micelle. The present report demonstrates that the aromatic residues responsible for colipase fluorescence are in an aqueous environment. In the presence of bile salt micelles, changes in colipase fluorescence properties indicate that the intrinsic fluorophores are located in a more hydrophobic environment upon colipase-micelle complex formation. In addition, the fluorescence of an NBD group fixed on lysine 60, which is very close to the aromatic region in the pig colipase, is also altered in the presence of micelles. These results show that the micelle binding site is not limited to the tyrosine residues but may be broadened to adjacent residues such as lysine 60 and also tryptophan 52 in horse colipase.

Inhibition of lipases by proteins: a binding study using dicaprin monolayers

We previously reported that the inhibition of pancreatic and Rhizopus delemar lipases by proteins is due to the protein associated with lipid and is not caused by direct protein-enzyme interaction in the aqueous phase [Gargouri, Y., Piéroni, G., Rivière, C., Sugihara, A., Sarda, L., & Verger, R. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 2268-2273]. In this study, using radiolabeled lipases, serum albumin, and beta-lactoglobulin A, we investigated their respective binding with respect to lipolysis of dicaprin monolayers. Lipase inhibition was found to be correlated with a lack of lipase binding to mixed protein-dicaprin films or to a desorption of lipase from the interface when inhibitory protein was added later. Since a large proportion of the lipid film remained potentially accessible to the enzyme in the presence of inhibitory protein, it was concluded that the observed decrease in lipase binding to the interface was due to a variation of the physiochemical properties of the lipid-water interface following binding of inhibitory protein. On the basis of the results presented here, it is proposed that mixed protein-glyceride films could be used to characterize the interaction of various lipases with lipid substrates and to classify these enzymes according to their penetration power.

Esterase-type of activity possessed by human plasma apolipoprotein C-II and its synthetic fragments

Human plasma apolipoproteins apo A-I, A-II, C-I, C-II and C-III (with the exception of apoE), porcine pancreatic colipase and procolipase hydrolyze 4-methylumbelliferyloleate. In all cases, liberation of 4-methylumbelliferone could be inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl-fluoride, thus suggesting the involvement of serine residues. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report on the esterase activities of these peptides. Synthetic fragments of the lipoprotein lipase activator, apoC-II, prepared according to the known sequence, also possessed this esterase-type of activity. Furthermore, the esterase-type of activities of the synthetic apoC-II fragments with different chain lengths bore a relatively good correlation to the reported abilities of these peptides to produce activation of lipoprotein lipase. We propose a model for the mechanism of activation of lipoprotein lipase by apolipoprotein C-II. ApoC-II would enhance the apparent catalytic rate constant of lipoprotein lipase by functioning as a specific acyl-enzyme hydrolase. A similar catalytic mechanism is suggested for other protein co-factors of hydrolytic enzymes.

Importance of the N-terminal sequence in porcine pancreatic colipase

Colipase exists in pancreatic juice in a pro-form which is activated by limited trypsin hydrolysis. During this activation, the N-terminal pentapeptide 1Val-Pro-Asp-Pro-5Arg is cleaved. The new N-terminal sequence formed, 6Gly-Ile-Ile-Ile-10Asn, contains three isoleucine residues. The importance of these for stimulating lipase activity has been investigated by successive Edman degradation of epsilon-acetimidolysine residues followed by limited trypsin hydrolysis. The epsilon-amidinated colipase obtained was fully active both with a phospholipid-covered triacylglycerol (Intralipid) and tributyrin as substrate. After removal of the three isoleucine residues, the activity of colipase was lost with Intralipid but not with tributyrin as substrate. The shortened colipases regained their Intralipid activity upon addition of long-chain fatty acids. The binding of colipase to lipase was not affected by removal of the isoleucine residues.

Hydrolysis of human milk fat globules by pancreatic lipase: role of colipase, phospholipase A2, and bile salts

Human milk fat globules were used to explore how dietary triglycerides are hydrolyzed by pancreatic lipase. These triglycerides were hydrolyzed very slowly by lipase alone as if the surface layer of proteins and phospholipids impeded the action of the enzyme. The inhibition of lipase activity could be overcome by addition either of colipase or of pancreatic phospholipase A2. Colipase enhanced triglyceride hydrolysis in a dose-dependent manner whether bile salts were present or not. Bile salts had no effect on the activity of pancreatic lipase alone but further enhanced the activity at all concentrations of colipase tested. Bile salts were a prerequisite to relieve inhibition of lipase activity by phospholipase A2. Human milk fat globules exposed to phospholipase A2 should be representative of a physiological substrate for pancreatic lipase. A major new observation was that bile salts, even at high concentrations, stimulated triglyceride hydrolysis of such phospholipase-treated globules by pancreatic lipase also in the absence of colipase.

Effect of taurodeoxycholate, colipase and temperature on the interfacial inactivation of porcine pancreatic lipase

Beside their inhibitory effect upon lipase adsorption, bile salts at low concentration (around 0.2 mM) have repeatedly been shown to enhance lipolysis slightly. From the data reported in this paper, this activation has been attributed to a stabilization of the adsorbed lipase brought about by low concentrations of bile salts. This hypothesis relies on the following observations. (a) For a given temperature, the activation by bile salts depends on the substrate. It is maximum for trihexanoin (trihexanoylglycerol) and does not exist for tripropionin (tripropionylglycerol). (b) In the absence of bile salts, the optimal activities are obtained for different temperatures depending on the substrate. (c) For a given substrate, the activation by a low concentration of bile salts depends on the temperature. It increases when the temperature is raised (up to 35-40 degrees C) and completely disappears at a sufficiently low temperature (around 10 degrees C). (d) This temperature effect does not seem to be due to a modification of the physical parameters of the interface as measured by the interfacial tension. (r) Colipase, like bile salts, increases the lipase activity on short-chain triglycerides but only at high temperature when lipase denaturation occurs. It has no influence upon the activity when the temperature is sufficiently low (around 10 degrees C).

The influence of bile salts and bile lipoprotein complex on pancreatic lipase hydrolysis of monomolecular films

We report a new technique which allows us to follow the lipolysis of monomolecular films in the presence of bile salts by using a 'zero-order' trough (Verger, R. and de Haas, G.H. (1973) Chem. Phys. Lipids 10, 127). The effects of bile salts, the bile lipoprotein complex and colipase on pancreatic lipase hydrolysis of rac-1,2-didodecanoylglycerol films were studied at different surface pressures. Taking into account previous studies, lipase activity was interpreted as a function of its degree of binding to the bile lipoprotein complex.

Effect of bile lipids on the adsorption and activity of pancreatic lipase on triacylglycerol emulsions

Emulsions of natural triacylglycerols obtained with different shear forces were used to study lipase adsorption and lipolysis. The influence of the bile lipoprotein complex on these two processes was determined. Optimal lipase activity was observed to occur with a given phospholipid : triacylglycerol ratio. This ratio depended on the degree of triacylglycerol emulsification and was accompanied by maximal adsorption of the bile lipoprotein complex. These results support our previous model for pancreatic lipolysis under physiological conditions, according to which colipase controls lipase binding to the bile lipoprotein complex and the resulting association directs enzyme adsorption to the acylglycerol particle (Lairon, D., Nalbone, G., Lafont, H., Léonardi, J., Domingo, N., Hauton, J.C. and Verger, R. (1978) Biochemistry 17, 5263--5269).

In vitro effect of adrenocorticotrophic hormone on the pH profile of tri- and diester lipase activities from rat brain

The influence of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) on the hydrolysis of tri- and dioleoylglycerol by a cerebral lipase was studied using a synaptosomal preparation from rat brain as source of enzyme. When ACTH was added to the lipolytic medium, it caused a marked shift of the optimum pH values of catalysis towards alkaline values. In the pH range 5.8-6.5, these shifts resulted in reaction rates 5- to 20-fold higher, depending on the experimental conditions, than those measured without hormone. The ACTH effect was dependent on the NH2-terminal sequence extending through the amino acid residues 15-18. The results suggest that the hormonal influence is specific and mediated through a colipase-like effect.

Measurement of the binding of colipase to a triacylglycerol substrate

The binding between colipase and two triacylglycerol substrates, tributyrin and Intralipid, in the presence of bile salts have been determined quantitatively by a method based on equilibrium partition in an aqueous two-phase system. In the model proposed the triacylglycerol, in the form of spherical droplets covered with bile salt, is assumed to have a certain number of independent binding sites at the surface for colipase. The binding of colipase to tributyrin at pH 7.0 in the presence of 4 mM sodium taurodeoxycholate and 150 mM NaCl had a dissociation constant Kd = 3.3 . 10(-7) M; the concentration of binding sites was 1.2 . 10(-6) M in a 102 mM tributyrin emulsion. When tributyrin was dispersed in 1 mM and 12 mM sodium taurodeoxycholate the dissociation constant was somewhat higher, 6.3 . 10(-7) M and 6.0 . 10(-7) M, respectively. Thus the binding strength was optimal at 4 mM sodium taurodeoxycholate. At the same time the concentration of binding sites decreased from 4.1 . 10(-6) M for 1 mM sodium taurodeoxycholate to 1.4 . 10(-6) M for 12 mM sodium taurodeoxycholate. This indicated that at higher bile salt concentration the bile salt acted as non-competitive inhibitors on the binding of colipase to the substrate, thus binding to other sites than colipase to the substrate. The binding of colipase to Intralipid, an emulsion of a long-chain triacylglycerol stabilized with phosphatidylcholine and glycerol, was more complex with indications of several different binding sites with different affinity. The majority of these had a dissociation constant Kd = 1.2 . 10(-6) M in the presence of 4 mM sodium taurodeoxycholate and 150 mM. With each droplet having a diameter of 10(-4) cm, the number of binding sites on each droplet was determined to 1.96 . 10(5) and the average area available for each colipase molecule to 1600 A at saturation. Colipase on denaturation has a surface of 1320 A.

Watching fat digestion

During fat digestion a number of physicochemical events can be seen directly by light microscopy. Under simulated physiological conditions, hydrolysis of emulsified fat droplets by human pancreatic lipase in the presence of colipase and bile salt micelles proceeds with the sequential formation of two visible product phases. A lamellar liquid crystalline or crystalline phase containing calcium and ionized fatty acid forms first; this is followed by the production of a "viscous isotropic" phase composed predominantly of monoglycerides and protonated fatty acids.

Lipase-colipase interactions during gel filtration. High and low affinity binding situations

The interaction of porcine pancreatic lipase and colipase was studied during gel filtration in columns eluted with a variety of buffers. High and low affinity binding situations were observed under different conditions. Low affinity binding could only be detected at the high lipase-colipase concentrations encountered during batch purification (10(-3)-10(-4) M). Even in this situation the rapid dissociation of the weak complex during filtration resulted in considerable separation of the two proteins. High affinity binding of lipase to colipase was observed at protein eluant concentrations as low as 10(-8) M on columns equilibrated with oleic acid-taurodeoxycholate mixed micelles. This binding did not take place on columns equilibrated with simple bile salt and mixed phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol-bile salt micelles. Colipase alone exhibited strong binding to phosphatidylcholine and fatty acid mixed bile salt micelles when applied together in a sample on columns eluted with pure bile salt micelles, lipase did not. The relevance of the high affinity complex to the lipase . colipase . substrate complex is discussed.

Characterization of Triton X 100 extracted colipase from porcine pancreas

Colipase was isolated from porcine pancreas homogenate prepared in the presence of detergent (Triton X 100). After precipitation by ammonium sulfate and ethanol, the cofactor was purified by chromatography on SP-Sephadex in the presence of Triton X 100 and on DEAE-cellulose in the absence of detergent. Two molecular forms of porcine colipase were obtained. They represent 80 per cent (colipase A) and 20 per cent (colipase B), respectively, of the total colipase. Valine is the N-terminal residue of both proteins. Their aminoacid composition is similar to that found by Borgstrom for the two forms of porcine colipase. Determination of the sequence of the first sixteen residues at the N-terminal end of colipase A indicates that the cofactor undergoes no proteolytic degradation in this region of the molecule when extraction is carried out in the presence of detergent. The recovery of colipase is about 30 per cent.

Inhibition of lipase adsorption at interfaces. Role of bile salt micelles and colipase

The effects of bile salts and colipase on the adsorption of lipase at an interface were studied by hydrophobic affinity chromatography on phenyl- and octyl-Sepharose. In the absence of bile salts, lipase or colipase binds separately to the gel. This is unchanged in the presence of adsorbed bile salts, when one bile salt molecule is associated per hydrophobic ligand. The same data are obtained in the presence of monomeric bile salt solutions. In contrast, lipase adsorption is totally prevented in a micellar bile salt solution. These results favor the idea that the formation of a lipase-bile salt complex in solution is responsible for the lack of interfacial lipase adsorption.

Adsorption and activation of pancreatic lipase at interfaces

The first step of the lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of insoluble long chain triglycerides is the adsorption of the enzyme to the interface. This adsorption, which is spontaneous when the interface is hydrophobic, is hindered by bile salts. Under these conditions, a small protein cofactor designated colipase adsorbs first and then anchors lipase at the interface. Interfacial adsorption enhances lipase activity, due, at least in part, to an acceleration of the rate-limiting deacylation step of the reaction. In this respect, lipase appears to be a most interesting model of an enzyme being activated by the presence of a lipid. The 3 steps of the heterogeneous catalysis induced by lipase, interfacial adsorption, interfacial activation and catalysis proper are under the control, respectively, of a serine hydroxyl group, a carboxyl and a histidine imidazole.

Comparative studies of canine colipase and lipases from bovine, porcine, canine, human and rat pancreases

1. Colipase was purified from canine pancreatic juice and found to have certain specificity in its reaction with various pancreatic lipases. 2. This colipase will stimulate the lipolytic activities of lipases isolated from canine, bovine and porcine pancreas but not lipases from a fungus, or from human and rat pancreases. 3. Characterization of these lipases showed (a) the molecular dimension of rat lipase is very different from the other lipases; (b) the pIs of canine, porcine and bovine lipases are almost identical but different from the pIs of rat, human and Candida (a fungus) lipases; and (c) the antiserum prepared against canine lipase will also react with lipases from human, hog and cow pancreases but not with rat and Candida lipases. 4. These physical differences can explain partly the difference in reaction between the various lipases and the canine colipase.

Effects of divalent cations and sodium taurocholate on pancreatic lipase activity with gum arabic-emulsified tributyrylglycerol substrates

The effects of Ca2+ and/or sodium taurocholate on lipase activity with gum arabic-emulsified tributyrylglycerol substrates were investigated. Calcium was found to slightly increase lipase activity while bile salts showed marked inhibition except at very low concentrations. Calcium eliminated inhibition seen with low concentrations of bile salts and reduced the inhibition seen at higher bile shift of the enzyme from the alkaline region in the absence of bile salt to the slightly acidic region in the presence of bile salt. Calcium was shown to eliminate the time lag periods between enzyme addition and maximum rate of hydrolysis seen at low substrate concentrations and the time lag noted when bile salts were included with normal (substrate concentration not limiting) assay concentrations of substrate. Zeta potential measurements indicated that Ca2+ reduced the negative charge on the gum arabic-emulsified particle while bile salts did not increase the negative charge. Commercial preparations of gum arabic were found to have significant concentrations of Ca2+ and Mg2+.