A novel protocol for the preparation of active recombinant human pancreatic lipase from Escherichia coli

An active recombinant human pancreatic lipase (recHPL) was successfully prepared for the first time from the Escherichia coli expression system using short Strep-tag II (ST II). The recHPL–ST II was solubilized using 8 M urea from E.coli lysate and purified on a Strep-Tactin-Sepharose column. After refolding by stepwise dialyses in the presence of glycerol and Ca(2+) for 2 days followed by gel filtration, 1.8–6 mg of active recHPL–ST II was obtained from 1 L of culture. The recHPL was non-glycosylated, but showed almost equal specific activity, pH-dependency and time-dependent stability compared to those of native porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL) at 37°C. However, the recHPL lost its lipolytic activity above 50°C, showing a lower heat-stability than that of native PPL, which retained half its activity at this temperature.