Ancestral Lipase Sequence Search for Surfactant-Resistant Detergency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cleansing compositions inhibit the activity of lipases, and there is a need for lipases that can be produced at low cost and exhibit resistance to activity inhibition by surfactants while maintaining excellent detergency, particularly in cleansing environments.
Innovation Solution
A method involving ancestral sequence reconstruction is used to design lipase ancestral sequences, which are then evaluated for resistance to surfactant inhibition and detergency, focusing on sequences belonging to the QGLP and Proteus/Yersinia clades.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If lipases are used in current cleansing compositions containing surfactants, then detergency is achieved, but lipase activity is inhibited by the surfactants
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses ancestral sequence reconstruction to design lipase variants with modified amino acid sequences, thereby changing the physical-chemical parameters of the enzyme structure to achieve resistance against surfactant inhibition while maintaining catalytic activity in cleansing compositions
2Ease of manufacture
If chaperones are co-expressed with gram-negative bacterium-derived lipases, then heterologous expression is improved, but productivity remains low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the requirement for chaperone co-expression by selecting lipase variants from ancestral sequences that inherently fold correctly and achieve high productivity without additional chaperone proteins, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process
3Ease of manufacture
If lipases are designed for low-cost production by heterologous expression, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but resistance to surfactant inhibition may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary ancestral sequence reconstruction and in silico analysis to pre-identify lipase variants with both high expressibility and surfactant resistance before actual production, ensuring that low-cost heterologous expression does not compromise functional reliability in cleansing applications
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method efficiently identifies lipases with enhanced resistance to surfactant inhibition and improved detergency, enabling their use in cleansing compositions with higher probability than existing methods.
Implementation Method 1
Lipases hydrolyze triglycerides to produce fatty acids, thereby contributing to the removal of stains including oil
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a lipase search method which can efficiently search for lipases having resistance to activity inhibition by a surfactant and/or showing excellent detergency in the presence of a surfactant. A lipase search method comprising steps of: designing lipase ancestral sequences by ancestral sequence reconstruction using a lipase sequence group; measuring at least one of a lipase activity of lipases consisting of the designed ancestral sequences in the presence of a surfactant and a detergency thereof in the presence of a surfactant; and comparing measured results with at least one of a lipase activity of a standard lipase in the presence of a surfactant and a detergency thereof in the presence of a surfactant.