Enzymatic properties of starfish phospholipase A2 and its application

Abstract

Industrial phospholipase A2 (PLA2) mainly produced from porcine pancreas is used for production of lysolecithin which is well known as an excellent natural emulsifier for food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. Since the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or religious tradition, it is hoped that the new sources of PLA2, as well as other enzymes and proteins, will be developed instead of mammal. From these backgrounds, we studied for PLA2 from marine organisms and found that starfish Asterina pectinifera PLA2 possesses extremely high activity and characteristic polar-group specificity comparing with commercially available PLA2 from porcine pancreas. Therefore, it was suggested that the starfish A. pectinifera would be a potential source of PLA2, and the PLA2 can be utilized as alternative enzyme of mammalian PLA2.