Purification and properties of an extracellular lipase from the fungus Botrytis cinerea.

An extracellular lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) from the fungus Botrytis cinerea has been purified to homogeneity and characterized. The purification included ammonium sulfate fractionation and sequential column chromatography. The purification of the preparation was 31-fold and recovery yield was 21%. The purified enzyme was associated with esterase activity according to activity staining on polyacrylamide gel. The molecular weight was determined as 60 kDa on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and estimated at 72 kDa using gel filtration, which suggests that the enzyme may be a monomer. The isoelectric point was 6.5, and optimal activity was obtained at 38 degrees C and pH 6.0. This lipase showed a high specificity for synthetic substrates containing long-chain unsaturated fatty acids using umbelliferone esters. The effect of beta-cyclodextrin on the hydrolysis of olive oil has been studied. The specific activity was 25 mumole/min/mg in the absence of beta-cyclodextrin and 132 mumole/min/mg in its presence.