Hausmann_2010_Handb.Hydrocarbon.Lipid.Microbiol__1099

Lipolytic enzymes comprising carboxylesterases and lipases represent a highly diverse group of hydrolases. Presently, about 900 of these enzymes are identified to originate from bacteria. In a landmark publication which appeared 10 years ago (Arpigny and Jaeger, 1999), lipolytic enzymes were grouped into eight families based on amino acid sequence homology and physiological properties. Here, we present the current status of this classification framework into which we have included numerous novel bacterial lipolytic enzymes. We further describe their biochemical properties and characteristic structural features. Additionally, diverse physiological functions of selected lipolytic enzymes are discussed.