Structural adaptation of cold-active RTX lipase from Pseudomonas sp. strain AMS8 revealed via homology and molecular dynamics simulation approaches

Cold-adapted characteristics and gene knockout of alkyl hydroperoxide reductase subunit C in Antarctic Psychrobacter sp. ANT206

Alkyl hydroperoxide reductase subunit C (AhpC) contributes to the cellular defense against reactive oxygen species. However, it remains understudied in psychrophiles. Amino acid comparison demonstrated that AhpC from Psychrobacter sp. ANT206 (ANT206) (PsAhpC) revealed fewer numbers of Lys and more numbers of Gly, which might have favored higher flexibility at low temperature. The recombinant PsAhpC (rPsAhpC) was most active at 25 °C and retained 35% of its residual activity at 0 °C, indicating that it was a cold-adapted enzyme. Additionally, rPsAhpC demonstrated significant salt tolerance, sustaining its activity in the presence of 4.0 M NaCl. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated that PsAhpC had comparatively loose conformation, which facilitated reactions at low temperatures. Subsequently, an ahpc knockout mutant was constructed, and the growth rate of the knockout mutant significantly decreased, suggesting that ahpc might be crucial for the growth of ANT206 at low temperatures. The findings provide a robust foundation for further investigation into the structural features and catalytic characterization of cold-adapted AhpC. The structural characteristics of PsAhpC and its cold tolerance and salt tolerance may be applied to stress resistance breeding of various organisms.

Exploring the Antarctic aminopeptidase P from Pseudomonas sp. strain AMS3 through structural analysis and molecular dynamics simulation

Aminopeptidase P (APPro) is a crucial metalloaminopeptidase involved in amino acid cleavage from peptide N-termini, playing essential roles as versatile biocatalysts with applications ranging from pharmaceuticals to industrial processes. Despite acknowledging its potential for catalysis in lower temperatures, detailed molecular basis and biotechnological implications in cold environments are yet to be explored. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the cold-adapted characteristics of APPro from Pseudomonas sp. strain AMS3 (AMS3-APPro) through a detailed analysis of its structure and dynamics. In this study, structure analysis and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of a predicted model of AMS3-APPro has been performed at different temperatures to assess structural flexibility and thermostability across a temperature range of 0-60 °C over 100 ns. The MD simulation results revealed that the structure were able to remain stable at low temperatures. Increased temperatures present a potential threat to the overall stability of AMS3-APPro by disrupting the intricate hydrogen bond networks crucial for maintaining structural integrity, thereby increasing the likelihood of protein unfolding. While the metal binding site at the catalytic core exhibits resilience at higher temperatures, highlighting its local structural integrity, the overall enzyme structure undergoes fluctuations and potential denaturation. This extensive structural instability surpasses the localized stability observed at the metal binding site. Consequently, these assessments offer in-depth understanding of the cold-adapted characteristics of AMS3-APPro, highlighting its capability to uphold its native conformation and stability in low-temperature environments. In summary, this research provides valuable insights into the cold-adapted features of AMS3-APPro, suggesting its efficient operation in low thermal conditions, particularly relevant for potential biotechnological applications in cold environments.

Potential of Antarctic lipase from Acinetobacter johnsonii Ant12 for treatment of lipid-rich wastewater: screening, production, properties and applications

The present study aimed to screen and optimize lipase production by the Antarctic strain Acinetobacter johnsonii Ant12 for lipid-rich wastewater treatment. Lipase production was successfully enhanced threefold through optimization of culture conditions. The optimum crude lipase activity was observed at 50 °C with high stability in a wide temperature range. The lipase also exhibited high activity and stability in the presence of solvents, metal ions, and surfactants. The crude lipase was used for the treatment of lipid-rich wastewater, which poses a significant challenge, as traditional removal methods are often inefficient or non-eco-friendly. In this study, bioaugmentation with Ant12 resulted in substantial lipid reduction in synthetic as well as real-world wastewater. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that lipid concentration and time were the most significant factors influencing lipid degradation. Bioaugmentation of real-world wastewater with Ant12 cells resulted in 84% removal of lipids in 72 h, while its crude lipase degraded 73.7% of lipids after 24 h. Thus, the specific rate of lipid degradation was higher for crude lipase (0.095/h) than the whole cell treatment (0.031/h). Economic analysis revealed that crude lipase production was much cheaper, faster and more eco-friendly than purified or partially purified lipase production, which justifies its use in wastewater treatment. The high activity of enzyme also implicates its application as a detergent additive. In our knowledge, it is the first study to establish A. johnsonii isolate from Antarctica for lipid-rich wastewater treatment.

Characterization of Two Unique Cold-Active Lipases Derived from a Novel Deep-Sea Cold Seep Bacterium

The deep ocean microbiota has unexplored potential to provide enzymes with unique characteristics. In order to obtain cold-active lipases, bacterial strains isolated from the sediment of the deep-sea cold seep were screened, and a novel strain gcc21 exhibited a high lipase catalytic activity, even at the low temperature of 4 °C. The strain gcc21 was identified and proposed to represent a new species of Pseudomonas according to its physiological, biochemical, and genomic characteristics; it was named Pseudomonas marinensis. Two novel encoding genes for cold-active lipases (Lipase 1 and Lipase 2) were identified in the genome of strain gcc21. Genes encoding Lipase 1 and Lipase 2 were respectively cloned and overexpressed in E. coli cells, and corresponding lipases were further purified and characterized. Both Lipase 1 and Lipase 2 showed an optimal catalytic temperature at 4 °C, which is much lower than those of most reported cold-active lipases, but the activity and stability of Lipase 2 were much higher than those of Lipase 1 under different tested pHs and temperatures. In addition, Lipase 2 was more stable than Lipase 1 when treated with different metal ions, detergents, potential inhibitors, and organic solvents. In a combination of mutation and activity assays, catalytic triads of Ser, Asp, and His in Lipase 1 and Lipase 2 were demonstrated to be essential for maintaining enzyme activity. Phylogenetic analysis showed that both Lipase 1 and Lipase 2 belonged to lipase family III. Overall, our results indicate that deep-sea cold seep is a rich source for novel bacterial species that produce potentially unique cold-active enzymes.

The Influence of Calcium toward Order/Disorder Conformation of Repeat-in-Toxin (RTX) Structure of Family I.3 Lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens AMS8

Calcium-binding plays a decisive role in the folding and stabilization of many RTX proteins, especially for the RTX domain. Although many studies have been conducted to prove the contribution of Ca²⁺ ion toward the folding and stabilization of RTX proteins, its functional dynamics and conformational structural changes remain elusive. Here, molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to analyze the contribution of Ca²⁺ ion toward the folding and stabilization of the RTX lipase (AMS8 lipase) structure. AMS8 lipase contains six Ca²⁺ ions (Ca1–Ca6). Three Ca²⁺ ions (Ca3, Ca4, and Ca5) were bound to the RTX parallel β-roll motif repeat structure (RTX domain). The metal ion (Ca²⁺) docking analysis gives a high binding energy, especially for Ca4 and Ca5 which are tightly bound to the RTX domain. The function of each Ca²⁺ ion is further analyzed using the MD simulation. The removal of Ca3, Ca4, and Ca5 caused the AMS8 lipase structure to become unstable and unfolded. The results suggested that Ca3, Ca4, and Ca5 stabilized the RTX domain. In conclusion, Ca3, Ca4, and Ca5 play a crucial role in the folding and stabilization of the RTX domain, which sustain the integrity of the overall AMS8 lipase structure.

Calcium-Induced Activity and Folding of a Repeat in Toxin Lipase from Antarctic Pseudomonas fluorescens Strain AMS8

It is hypothesized that the Ca²⁺ ions were involved in the activity, folding and stabilization of many protein structures. Many of these proteins contain repeat in toxin (RTX) motifs. AMS8 lipase from Antarctic Pseudomonas fluorescens strain AMS8 was found to have three RTX motifs. So, this research aimed to examine the influence of Ca²⁺ ion towards the activity and folding of AMS8 lipase through various biophysical characterizations. The results showed that CaCl₂ increased lipase activity. The far-UV circular dichroism (CD) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis suggested that the secondary structure content was improved with the addition of CaCl₂. Fluorescence spectroscopy analysis showed that the presence of CaCl₂ increased protein folding and compactness. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis suggested that AMS8 lipase became aggregated at a high concentration of CaCl₂.The binding constant (K_d) value from the isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) analysis proved that the Ca²⁺ ion was tightly bound to the AMS8 lipase. In conclusion, Ca²⁺ ions play crucial roles in the activity and folding of the AMS8 lipase. Calcium binding to RTX nonapeptide repeats sequences will induced the formation and folding of the RTX parallel β-roll motif repeat structure.

Effects of Lid 1 Mutagenesis on Lid Displacement, Catalytic Performances and Thermostability of Cold-active Pseudomonas AMS8 Lipase in Toluene

Pseudomonas fluorescens AMS8 lipase lid 1 structure is rigid and holds unclear roles due to the absence of solvent-interactions. Lid 1 region was stabilized by 17 hydrogen bond linkages and displayed lower mean hydrophobicity (0.596) compared to MIS38 lipase. Mutating lid 1 residues, Thr-52 and Gly-55 to aromatic hydrophobic-polar tyrosine would churned more side-chain interactions between lid 1 and water or toluene. This study revealed that T52Y leads G55Y and its recombinant towards achieving higher solvent-accessible surface area and longer half-life at 25 to 37 °C in 0.5% (v/v) toluene. T52Y also exhibited better substrate affinity with long-chain carbon substrate in aqueous media. The affinity for pNP palmitate, laurate and caprylate increased in 0.5% (v/v) toluene in recombinant AMS8, but the affinity in similar substrates was substantially declined in lid 1 mutated lipases. Regarding enzyme efficiency, the recombinant AMS8 lipase displayed highest value of k_cat/K_m in 0.5% (v/v) toluene, mainly with pNPC. In both hydrolysis reactions with 0% and 0.5% (v/v) toluene, the enzyme efficiency of G55Y was found higher than T52Y for pNPL and pNPP. At 0.5% (v/v) toluene, both mutants showed reductions in activation energy and enthalpy values as temperature increased from 25 to 35 °C, displaying better catalytic functions. Only T52Y exhibited increase in entropy values at 0.5% (v/v) toluene indicating structure stability. As a conclusion, Thr-52 and Gly-55 are important residues for lid 1 stability as their existence helps to retain the geometrical structure of alpha-helix and connecting hinge.

Cold survival strategies for bacteria, recent advancement and potential industrial applications

Microorganisms have evolved themselves to thrive under various extreme environmental conditions such as extremely high or low temperature, alkalinity, and salinity. These microorganisms adapted several metabolic processes to survive and reproduce efficiently under such extreme environments. As the major proportion of earth is covered with the cold environment and is exploited by human beings, these sites are not pristine anymore. Human interventions are a great reason for disturbing the natural biogeochemical cycles in these regions. The survival strategies of these organisms have shown great potential for helping us to restore these pristine sites and the use of isolated cold-adapted enzymes from these organisms has also revolutionized various industrial products. This review gives you the insight of psychrophilic enzyme adaptations and their industrial applications.

The Effects of One Amino Acid Substitutions at the C-Terminal Region of Thermostable L2 Lipase by Computational and Experimental Approach

The substitutions of the amino acid at the predetermined critical point at the C-terminal of L2 lipase may increase its thermostability and enzymatic activity, or even otherwise speed up the unfolding of the protein structure. The C-terminal of most proteins is often flexible and disordered. However, some protein functions are directly related to flexibility and play significant role in enzyme reaction. The critical point for mutation of L2 lipase structure was predicted at the position 385 of the L2 sequence, and the best three mutants were determined based on I-Mutant2.0 software. The best three mutants were S385E, S385I and S385V. The effects of the substitution of the amino acids at the critical point were analysed with molecular dynamics simulation by using Yet Another Scientific Artificial Reality Application software. The predicted mutant L2 lipases were found to have lower root mean square deviation value as compared to L2 lipase. It was indicated that all the three mutants had higher compactness in the structure, consequently enhanced the stability. Root mean square fluctuation analysis showed that the flexibility of L2 lipase was reduced by mutations. Purified S385E lipase had an optimum temperature of 80 °C in Tris-HCl pH 8. The highest enzymatic activity of purified S385E lipase was obtained at 80 °C temperature in Tris-HCl pH 8, while for L2 lipase it was at 70 °C in Glycine-NaOH pH 9. The thermal stability of S385V lipase was enhanced as compared to other protein since that the melting point (T _m) value was at 85.96 °C. S385I lipase was more thermostable compared to recombinant L2 lipase and other mutants at temperature 60 °C within 16 h preincubation.

Optimization and in Silico Analysis of a Cold-Adapted Lipase from an Antarctic Pseudomonas sp. Strain AMS8 Reaction in Triton X-100 Reverse Micelles

A moderate yield of a purified enzyme can be achieved by using the simple technique of reverse micellar extraction (RME). RME is a liquid–liquid extraction method that uses a surfactant and an organic solvent to extract biomolecules. Instead of traditional chromatographic purification methods, which are tedious and expensive, RME using the nonionic surfactant Triton X-100 and toluene is used as an alternative purification technique to purify a recombinant cold-adapted lipase, AMS8. Various process parameters were optimized to maximize the activity recovery of the AMS8 lipase. The optimal conditions were found to be 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7, 0.125 M NaCl, and 0.07 M Triton X-100 in toluene at 10 °C. Approximately 56% of the lipase activity was successfully recovered. Structural analysis of the lipase in a reverse micelle (RM) was performed using an in silico approach. The predicted model of AMS8 lipase was simulated in the Triton X-100/toluene reverse micelles from 5 to 40 °C. The lid 2 was slightly opened at 10 °C. However, the secondary structure of AMS8 was most affected in the non-catalytic domain compared to the catalytic domain, with an increased coil conformation. These results suggest that an AMS8 lipase can be extracted using Triton X-100/water/toluene micelles at low temperature. This RME approach will be an important tool for the downstream processing of recombinant cold-adapted lipases.

GC bias lead to increased small amino acids and random coils of proteins in cold-water fishes

BACKGROUND

Temperature adaptation of biological molecules is fundamental in evolutionary studies but remains unsolved. Fishes living in cold water are adapted to low temperatures through adaptive modification of their biological molecules, which enables their functioning in extreme cold. To study nucleotide and amino acid preference in cold-water fishes, we investigated the substitution asymmetry of codons and amino acids in protein-coding DNA sequences between cold-water fishes and tropical fishes., The former includes two Antarctic fishes, Dissostichus mawsoni (Antarctic toothfish), Gymnodraco acuticeps (Antarctic dragonfish), and two temperate fishes, Gadus morhua (Atlantic cod) and Gasterosteus aculeatus (stickleback), and the latter includes three tropical fishes, including Danio rerio (zebrafish), Oreochromis niloticus (Nile tilapia) and Xiphophorus maculatus (Platyfish).

RESULTS

Cold-water fishes showed preference for Guanines and cytosines (GCs) in both synonymous and nonsynonymous codon substitution when compared with tropical fishes. Amino acids coded by GC-rich codons are favored in the temperate fishes, while those coded by AT-rich codons are disfavored. Similar trends were discovered in Antarctic fishes but were statistically weaker. The preference of GC rich codons in nonsynonymous substitution tends to increase ratio of small amino acid in proteins, which was demonstrated by biased small amino acid substitutions in the cold-water species when compared with the tropical species, especially in the temperate species. Prediction and comparison of secondary structure of the proteomes showed that frequency of random coils are significantly larger in the cold-water fish proteomes than those of the tropical fishes.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggested that natural selection in cold temperature might favor biased GC content in the coding DNA sequences, which lead to increased frequency of small amino acids and consequently increased random coils in the proteomes of cold-water fishes.

The Role of Solvent-Accessible Leu-208 of Cold-Active Pseudomonas fluorescens Strain AMS8 Lipase in Interfacial Activation, Substrate Accessibility and Low-Molecular Weight Esterification in the Presence of Toluene

The alkaline cold-active lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens AMS8 undergoes major structural changes when reacted with hydrophobic organic solvents. In toluene, the AMS8 lipase catalytic region is exposed by the moving hydrophobic lid 2 (Glu-148 to Gly-167). Solvent-accessible surface area analysis revealed that Leu-208, which is located next to the nucleophilic Ser-207 has a focal function in influencing substrate accessibility and flexibility of the catalytic pocket. Based on molecular dynamic simulations, it was found that Leu-208 strongly facilitates the lid 2 opening via its side-chain. The KM and Kcat/KM of L208A mutant were substrate dependent as it preferred a smaller-chain ester (pNP-caprylate) as compared to medium (pNP-laurate) or long-chain (pNP-palmitate) esters. In esterification of ethyl hexanoate, L208A promotes a higher ester conversion rate at 20 °C but not at 30 °C, as a 27% decline was observed. Interestingly, the wild-type (WT) lipase's conversion rate was found to increase with a higher temperature. WT lipase AMS8 esterification was higher in toluene as compared to L208A. Hence, the results showed that Leu-208 of AMS8 lipase plays an important role in steering a broad range of substrates into its active site region by regulating the flexibility of this region. Leu-208 is therefore predicted to be crucial for its role in interfacial activation and catalysis in toluene.

Prolonged Production and Aggregation Complexity of Cold-Active Lipase from Pseudomonas proteolytica (GBPI_Hb61) Isolated from Cold Desert Himalaya

Pseudomonas, being the common inhabitant of colder environments, are suitable for the production of cold-active enzymes. In the present study, a newly isolated strain of Pseudomonas from cold desert site in Indian Himalayan Region, was investigated for the production of cold-active lipase. The bacteria were identified as Pseudomonas proteolytica by 16S rDNA sequencing. Lipase production by bacteria was confirmed by qualitative assay using tributyrin and rhodamine-B agar plate method. The bacterium produced maximum lipase at 25 °C followed by production at 15 °C while utilizing olive, corn, as well as soybean oil as substrate in lipase production broth. Enzyme produced by bacteria was partially purified using ammonium sulphate fractionation. GBPI_Hb61 showed aggregation behaviour which was confirmed using several techniques including gel filtration chromatography, dynamic light scattering, and native PAGE. Molecular weight determined by SDS-PAGE followed by in-gel activity suggested two lipases of nearly similar molecular weight of ~50 kDa. The enzyme showed stability in wide range of pH from 5 to 11 and temperature up to 50 °C. The enzyme from GBPI_Hb61 exhibited maximum activity toward p-nitrophenyldecanoate (C10). The stability of enzyme was not affected with methanol while it retained more than 75% activity when incubated with ethanol, acetone, and hexane. The bacterium is likely to be a potential source for production of cold-active lipase with efficient applicability under multiple conditions.

Recombinant Lipases and Phospholipases and Their Use as Biocatalysts for Industrial Applications

Lipases and phospholipases are interfacial enzymes that hydrolyze hydrophobic ester linkages of triacylglycerols and phospholipids, respectively. In addition to their role as esterases, these enzymes catalyze a plethora of other reactions; indeed, lipases also catalyze esterification, transesterification and interesterification reactions, and phospholipases also show acyltransferase, transacylase and transphosphatidylation activities. Thus, lipases and phospholipases represent versatile biocatalysts that are widely used in various industrial applications, such as for biodiesels, food, nutraceuticals, oil degumming and detergents; minor applications also include bioremediation, agriculture, cosmetics, leather and paper industries. These enzymes are ubiquitous in most living organisms, across animals, plants, yeasts, fungi and bacteria. For their greater availability and their ease of production, microbial lipases and phospholipases are preferred to those derived from animals and plants. Nevertheless, traditional purification strategies from microbe cultures have a number of disadvantages, which include non-reproducibility and low yields. Moreover, native microbial enzymes are not always suitable for biocatalytic processes. The development of molecular techniques for the production of recombinant heterologous proteins in a host system has overcome these constraints, as this allows high-level protein expression and production of new redesigned enzymes with improved catalytic properties. These can meet the requirements of specific industrial process better than the native enzymes. The purpose of this review is to give an overview of the structural and functional features of lipases and phospholipases, to describe the recent advances in optimization of the production of recombinant lipases and phospholipases, and to summarize the information available relating to their major applications in industrial processes.

Diversity of bacterioplankton in the surface seawaters of Drake Passage near the Chinese Antarctic station

The determination of relative abundances and distribution of different bacterial groups is a critical step toward understanding the functions of various bacteria and its surrounding environment. Few studies focus on the taxonomic composition and functional diversity of microbial communities in Drake Passage. In this study, marine bacterioplankton communities from surface seawaters at five locations in Drake Passage were examined by 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses. The results indicated that psychrophilic bacteria were the most abundant group in Drake Passage, and mainly made up of Bacillus, Aeromonas, Psychrobacter, Pseudomonas and Halomonas. Diversity analysis showed that surface seawater communities had no significant correlation with latitudinal gradient. Additionally, a clear difference among five surface seawater communities was evident, with 1.8% OTUs (only two) belonged to Bacillus consistent across five locations and 71% OTUs (80) existed in only one location. However, the few cosmopolitans had the largest population sizes. Our results support the hypothesis that the dominant bacterial groups appear to be analogous between geographical sites, but significant differences may be detected among rare bacterial groups. The microbial diversity of surface seawaters would be liable to be affected by environmental factors.

Evolution of the complement system C3 gene in Antarctic teleosts

Notothenioidei are typical Antarctic teleosts evolved to adapt to the very low temperatures of the Antarctic seas. Aim of the present paper is to investigate sequence and structure of C3, the third component of the complement system of the notothenioid Trematomus bernacchii and Chionodraco hamatus. We determined the complete nucleotide sequence of two C3 isoforms of T. bernacchii and a single C3 isoform of C. hamatus. These sequences were aligned against other homologous teleost sequences to check for the presence of diversifying selection. Evidence for positive selection was observed in the evolutionary lineage of Antarctic teleost C3 sequences, especially in that of C. hamatus, the most recently diverged species. Adaptive selection affected numerous amino acid positions including three residues located in the anaphylatoxin domain. In an attempt to evaluate the link between sequence variants and specific structural features, we constructed molecular models of Antarctic teleost C3s, of their proteolytic fragments C3b and C3a, and of the corresponding molecules of the phylogenetically related temperate species Epinephelus coioides, using human crystallographic structures as templates. Subsequently, we compared dynamic features of these models by molecular dynamics simulations and found that the Antarctic C3s models show higher flexibility, which likely allows for more pronounced movements of both the TED domain in C3b and the carboxyl-terminal region of C3a. As such dynamic features are associated to positively selected sites, it appears that Antarctic teleost C3 molecules positively evolved toward an increased flexibility, to cope with low kinetic energy levels of the Antarctic marine environment.

Adaptational properties and applications of cold-active lipases from psychrophilic bacteria

Psychrophilic microorganisms are cold-adapted with distinct properties from other thermal classes thriving in cold conditions in large areas of the earth's cold environment. Maintenance of functional membranes, evolving cold-adapted enzymes and synthesizing a range of structural features are basic adaptive strategies of psychrophiles. Among the cold-evolved enzymes are the cold-active lipases, a group of microbial lipases with inherent stability-activity-flexibility property that have engaged the interest of researchers over the years. Current knowledge regarding these cold-evolved enzymes in psychrophilic bacteria proves a display of high catalytic efficiency with low thermal stability, which is a differentiating feature with that of their mesophilic and thermophilic counterparts. Improvement strategies of their adaptive structural features have significantly benefited the enzyme industry. Based on their homogeneity and purity, molecular characterizations of these enzymes have been successful and their properties make them unique biocatalysts for various industrial and biotechnological applications. Although, strong association of lipopolysaccharides from Antarctic microorganisms with lipid hydrolases pose a challenge in their purification, heterologous expression of the cold-adapted lipases with affinity tags simplifies purification with higher yield. The review discusses these cold-evolved lipases from bacteria and their peculiar properties, in addition to their potential biotechnological and industrial applications.

From structure to catalysis: recent developments in the biotechnological applications of lipases

Microbial lipases are highly appreciated as biocatalysts due to their peculiar characteristics such as the ability to utilize a wide range of substrates, high activity and stability in organic solvents, and regio- and/or enantioselectivity. These enzymes are currently being applied in a variety of biotechnological processes, including detergent preparation, cosmetics and paper production, food processing, biodiesel and biopolymer synthesis, and the biocatalytic resolution of pharmaceutical derivatives, esters, and amino acids. However, in certain segments of industry, the use of lipases is still limited by their high cost. Thus, there is a great interest in obtaining low-cost, highly active, and stable lipases that can be applied in several different industrial branches. Currently, the design of specific enzymes for each type of process has been used as an important tool to address the limitations of natural enzymes. Nowadays, it is possible to "order" a "customized" enzyme that has ideal properties for the development of the desired bioprocess. This review aims to compile recent advances in the biotechnological application of lipases focusing on various methods of enzyme improvement, such as protein engineering (directed evolution and rational design), as well as the use of structural data for rational modification of lipases in order to create higher active and selective biocatalysts.