Lipolytic Enzymes Produced by Mexican Fungi and Actinomycetes of the Sonoran Desert with Potential in Biotechnological Applications
Priscila Sutto Ortizac, Juan Carlos Mateos Díaza, Rosa María Camacho Ruíza, Alí Jesús Asaff Torresb, Abdelkarim Abousalhamc, Jorge Alberto Rodríguez Gonzáleza*
a Biotecnología Industrial, Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco A.C., Guadalajara, Jalisco, México. 
b Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo A. C., Hermosillo, Sonora, México.
c Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires (ICBMS) UMR 5246 CNRS, Organisation et Dynamique des Membranes Biologiques, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne Cedex, France.

Lipases (E.C. 3.1.1.3) and phospholipases (E.C. 3.1.x.x) are a large group of interesting enzymes used in several biotechnological applications. They can accept a broad range of substrates maintaining a high regio-, stereo-, and enantioselectivity, and some of them are relatively stable in organic solvents. The use of lipolytic enzymes in industrial applications can lead to attractive benefits, such as an increased process yield and improved final product properties [1]. In the present work, a screening of different fungi and actinomycetes isolated from the Sonoran desert was performed with the objective of finding lipolytic enzymes of biotechnological interest. Forty isolated strains were cultivated in agar plates containing a specific culture medium to induce each lipolytic activity: olive oil for lipases and egg yolk phosphatidylcholine for phospholipases. Also, two different kinds of indicators for the visualization of enzymatic activity in agar plates were used: cresol and rhodamine for both assays. After the screening, 10 positive strains for lipase activity and 19 positive strains for phospholipase activity were obtained and identified molecularly. Enzymatic extracts obtained directly from the agar plate cultures were analyzed using spectrophotometric methods to confirm the lipolytic activity [2]. Selected strains were cultivated successfully in solid state fermentation to produce extracellular lipolytic enzymes. Since the microorganisms were isolated from an extreme environment with temperatures above 50°C, some of the lipolytic activities are expected to be thermostable and hence attractive for biotechnological applications. Nevertheless further biochemical characterization will be made to verify this hypothesis. 
1.	Schmid, R.D. et al. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 1998. 37(12): p. 1608-1633.
2.	Mateos-Diaz, E. et al. Methods and Protocols, 2012. 861: p. 89-100.