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==Uses==
==Uses==
===Food use===
===Food use===
Lactase is an enzyme that some people are unable to produce in their small intestine.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lactose Intolerance|url=https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lactose-intolerance/symptoms-causes/syc-20374232|website=Mayo Clinic|publisher=Mayo Clinic|accessdate=13 March 2018}}</ref> Without it they can't break down the natural lactose in milk, leaving them with diarrhea, gas and bloating when drinking regular milk. Technology to produce lactose-free milk, ice cream and yogurt was developed by the [[Agricultural Research Service|USDA Agricultural Research Service]] in 1985.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.federallabs.org/successes/success-stories/lactose-free-milk-low-fat-cheese-and-more-dairy-breakthroughs|title=Lactose-Free Milk, Low-Fat Cheese, and More Dairy Breakthroughs|last=Porch|first=Kaitlyn|date=2018-04-12|website=www.federallabs.org|language=en|access-date=2018-10-26}}</ref> This technology is used to add lactase to milk, thereby hydrolyzing the lactose naturally found in milk, leaving it slightly sweet but digestible by everyone.<ref>{{cite news|title=Asked: How do dairies make lactose free milk?|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/asked-answered/2014/09/03/asked-answered-lactose-free-milk/14821885/|accessdate=13 March 2018|publisher=USA Today|date=3 September 2014}}</ref>  Without lactase, lactose intolerant people pass the lactose undigested to the colon where bacteria break it down creating carbon dioxide and that leads to bloating and flatulence.
Lactase is an enzyme that some people are unable to produce in their small intestine.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lactose Intolerance|url=https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lactose-intolerance/symptoms-causes/syc-20374232|website=Mayo Clinic|publisher=Mayo Clinic|accessdate=13 March 2018}}</ref> Without it they can't break down the natural lactose in milk, leaving them with diarrhea, gas and bloating when drinking regular milk. Technology to produce lactose-free milk, ice cream and yogurt was developed by the [[Agricultural Research Service|USDA Agricultural Research Service]] in 1985.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.federallabs.org/successes/success-stories/lactose-free-milk-low-fat-cheese-and-more-dairy-breakthroughs|title=Lactose-Free Milk, Low-Fat Cheese, and More Dairy Breakthroughs|last=Porch|first=Kaitlyn|date=2018-04-12|website=www.federallabs.org|language=en|access-date=2018-10-26}}</ref> This technology is used to add lactase to milk, thereby hydrolyzing the lactose naturally found in milk, leaving it slightly sweet but digestible by everyone.<ref>{{cite news|title=Asked: How do dairies make lactose free milk?|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/asked-answered/2014/09/03/asked-answered-lactose-free-milk/14821885/|accessdate=13 March 2018|publisher=USA Today|date=3 September 2014}}</ref>  Without lactase, lactose intolerant people pass the lactose undigested to the colon{{Citation needed|reason=nutrients take 7-9 hours to reach colon but symptoms appear after 2 hours|date=January 2019}} where bacteria break it down creating carbon dioxide and that leads to bloating and flatulence.


===Medical use===
===Medical use===
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=== Industrial use ===
=== Industrial use ===
Lactase produced commercially can be extracted both from [[yeast]]s such as ''[[Kluyveromyces fragilis]]'' and ''[[Kluyveromyces lactis]]'' and from molds, such as ''[[Aspergillus niger]]'' and ''[[Aspergillus oryzae]]''.<ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Seyis I, Aksoz N |year=2004|title=Production of lactase by Trichoderma sp|journal=Food Technol Biotechnol|volume=42|pages=121–124|url=http://public.carnet.hr/ftbrfd/42-121.pdf}}</ref> Its primary commercial use, in supplements such as Lacteeze and Lactaid, is to break down lactose in milk to make it suitable for people with lactose intolerance,<ref name="urlwww.fda.gov">{{cite web | url = http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GRAS/NoticeInventory/UCM400718 | title = Re: GRAS Notification for Acid Lactase from Aspergillus oryzae Expressed in Aspergillus niger | work = United States Food and Drug Administration }}</ref><ref name="urlnaldc.nal.usda.gov">{{cite book|title=Innovative Products for Food Industries|last=Holsinger|first=Virginia H.|work=|publisher=Rural Development Publications Collection|year=1992|isbn=|location=|pages=256–8|chapter=The Lactaid Story|format=|name-list-format=vanc|chapter-url=http://naldc-legacy.nal.usda.gov/naldc/download.xhtml?id=IND93048088&content=PDF}}</ref> However, the [[U.S. Food and Drug Administration]] <!-- (FDA) --> has not formally evaluated the effectiveness of these products.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodIngredientsPackaging/GenerallyRecognizedasSafeGRAS/GRASListings/ucm153949.htm|title=Agency Response Letter GRAS Notice No. GRN 000132|last=Tarantino, LM|first=|date=2003-12-03|website=|publisher=U.S. Food and Drug Administration|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110326081205/http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodIngredientsPackaging/GenerallyRecognizedasSafeGRAS/GRASListings/ucm153949.htm|archive-date=2011-03-26|dead-url=yes|accessdate=2009-09-21}}</ref>
Lactase produced commercially can be extracted both from [[yeast]]s such as ''[[Kluyveromyces fragilis]]'' and ''[[Kluyveromyces lactis]]'' and from molds, such as ''[[Aspergillus niger]]'' and ''[[Aspergillus oryzae]]''.<ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Seyis I, Aksoz N |year=2004|title=Production of lactase by Trichoderma sp|journal=Food Technol Biotechnol|volume=42|pages=121–124|url=http://public.carnet.hr/ftbrfd/42-121.pdf}}</ref> Its primary commercial use, in supplements such as Lacteeze and Lactaid, is to break down lactose in milk to make it suitable for people with lactose intolerance,<ref name="urlwww.fda.gov">{{cite web | url = http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GRAS/NoticeInventory/UCM400718 | title = Re: GRAS Notification for Acid Lactase from Aspergillus oryzae Expressed in Aspergillus niger | work = United States Food and Drug Administration }}</ref><ref name="urlnaldc.nal.usda.gov">{{cite book|title=Innovative Products for Food Industries|last=Holsinger|first=Virginia H.|work=|publisher=Rural Development Publications Collection|year=1992|isbn=|location=|pages=256–8|chapter=The Lactaid Story|format=|name-list-format=vanc|chapter-url=http://naldc-legacy.nal.usda.gov/naldc/download.xhtml?id=IND93048088&content=PDF}}</ref> However, the [[U.S. Food and Drug Administration]] <!-- (FDA) --> has not formally evaluated the effectiveness of these products.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodIngredientsPackaging/GenerallyRecognizedasSafeGRAS/GRASListings/ucm153949.htm|title=Agency Response Letter GRAS Notice No. GRN 000132|last=Tarantino, LM|date=2003-12-03|website=|publisher=U.S. Food and Drug Administration|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110326081205/http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodIngredientsPackaging/GenerallyRecognizedasSafeGRAS/GRASListings/ucm153949.htm|archive-date=2011-03-26|dead-url=yes|accessdate=2009-09-21}}</ref>


Lactase is also used to screen for [[blue white screen|blue white]] colonies in the [[multiple cloning site]]s of various [[Plasmid#Vectors|plasmid vectors]] in ''[[Escherichia coli]]'' or other bacteria.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lactaseinbioinfo.weebly.com/introduction.html|title=Introduction|website=Lactase|access-date=2018-11-16}}</ref><!--
Lactase is also used to screen for [[blue white screen|blue white]] colonies in the [[multiple cloning site]]s of various [[Plasmid#Vectors|plasmid vectors]] in ''[[Escherichia coli]]'' or other bacteria.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lactaseinbioinfo.weebly.com/introduction.html|title=Introduction|website=Lactase|access-date=2018-11-16}}</ref><!--
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==Mechanism==
==Mechanism==
The optimum [[temperature]] for human lactase is about 37&nbsp;[[°C]] for its activity<ref name="pmid17512743">{{cite journal | vauthors = Hermida C, Corrales G, Cañada FJ, Aragón JJ, Fernández-Mayoralas A | title = Optimizing the enzymatic synthesis of beta-D-galactopyranosyl-D-xyloses for their use in the evaluation of lactase activity in vivo | journal = Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry | volume = 15 | issue = 14 | pages = 4836–40 | date = Jul 2007 | pmid = 17512743 | doi = 10.1016/j.bmc.2007.04.067 }}</ref> and has an optimum [[pH]] of 6.<ref name="pmid6786877">{{cite journal | vauthors = Skovbjerg H, Sjöström H, Norén O | title = Purification and characterisation of amphiphilic lactase/phlorizin hydrolase from human small intestine | journal = European Journal of Biochemistry / FEBS | volume = 114 | issue = 3 | pages = 653–61 | date = Mar 1981 | pmid = 6786877 | doi = 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1981.tb05193.x | url = http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1432-1033.1981.tb05193.x/pdf }}</ref>
The optimum [[temperature]] for human lactase is about 37&nbsp;[[°C]] for its activity<ref name="pmid17512743">{{cite journal | vauthors = Hermida C, Corrales G, Cañada FJ, Aragón JJ, Fernández-Mayoralas A | title = Optimizing the enzymatic synthesis of beta-D-galactopyranosyl-D-xyloses for their use in the evaluation of lactase activity in vivo | journal = Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry | volume = 15 | issue = 14 | pages = 4836–40 | date = Jul 2007 | pmid = 17512743 | doi = 10.1016/j.bmc.2007.04.067 | hdl = 10261/81580 }}</ref> and has an optimum [[pH]] of 6.<ref name="pmid6786877">{{cite journal | vauthors = Skovbjerg H, Sjöström H, Norén O | title = Purification and characterisation of amphiphilic lactase/phlorizin hydrolase from human small intestine | journal = European Journal of Biochemistry / FEBS | volume = 114 | issue = 3 | pages = 653–61 | date = Mar 1981 | pmid = 6786877 | doi = 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1981.tb05193.x }}</ref>


In [[metabolism]], the β-glycosidic bond in ''D''-lactose is hydrolyzed to form ''D''-galactose and ''D''-glucose, which can be absorbed through the intestinal walls and into the bloodstream.  The overall reaction that lactase catalyzes is C<sub>12</sub>H<sub>22</sub>O<sub>11</sub> + H<sub>2</sub>O → C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>12</sub>O<sub>6</sub> + C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>12</sub>O<sub>6</sub> + heat.
In [[metabolism]], the β-glycosidic bond in ''D''-lactose is hydrolyzed to form ''D''-galactose and ''D''-glucose, which can be absorbed through the intestinal walls and into the bloodstream.  The overall reaction that lactase catalyzes is C<sub>12</sub>H<sub>22</sub>O<sub>11</sub> + H<sub>2</sub>O → C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>12</sub>O<sub>6</sub> + C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>12</sub>O<sub>6</sub> + heat.
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Mature human lactase consists of a single 160-kDa polypeptide chain that localizes to the brush border membrane of intestinal epithelial cells.  It is oriented with the N-terminus outside the cell and the C-terminus in the cytosol.<ref name = "pmid2460343"/> LPH contains two catalytic glutamic acid sites.  In the human enzyme, the lactase activity has been connected to Glu-1749, while Glu-1273 is the site of phlorizin hydrolase function.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Zecca L, Mesonero JE, Stutz A, Poirée JC, Giudicelli J, Cursio R, Gloor SM, Semenza G | title = Intestinal lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (LPH): the two catalytic sites; the role of the pancreas in pro-LPH maturation | journal = FEBS Letters | volume = 435 | issue = 2-3 | pages = 225–8 | date = Sep 1998 | pmid = 9762914 | doi = 10.1016/S0014-5793(98)01076-X }}</ref>
Mature human lactase consists of a single 160-kDa polypeptide chain that localizes to the brush border membrane of intestinal epithelial cells.  It is oriented with the N-terminus outside the cell and the C-terminus in the cytosol.<ref name = "pmid2460343"/> LPH contains two catalytic glutamic acid sites.  In the human enzyme, the lactase activity has been connected to Glu-1749, while Glu-1273 is the site of phlorizin hydrolase function.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Zecca L, Mesonero JE, Stutz A, Poirée JC, Giudicelli J, Cursio R, Gloor SM, Semenza G | title = Intestinal lactase-phlorizin hydrolase (LPH): the two catalytic sites; the role of the pancreas in pro-LPH maturation | journal = FEBS Letters | volume = 435 | issue = 2–3 | pages = 225–8 | date = Sep 1998 | pmid = 9762914 | doi = 10.1016/S0014-5793(98)01076-X }}</ref>


== Genetic expression and regulation ==
== Genetic expression and regulation ==
Line 80: Line 80:
Lactase is encoded by a single genetic locus on chromosome 2.<ref name = "pmid9148757">{{cite journal | vauthors = Troelsen JT, Mitchelmore C, Spodsberg N, Jensen AM, Norén O, Sjöström H | title = Regulation of lactase-phlorizin hydrolase gene expression by the caudal-related homoeodomain protein Cdx-2 | journal = The Biochemical Journal | volume = 322 ( Pt 3) | issue = Pt. 3 | pages = 833–8 | date = Mar 1997 | pmid = 9148757 | pmc = 1218263 }}</ref>  It is expressed exclusively by mammalian small intestine enterocytes and in very low levels in the colon during fetal development.<ref name="pmid9148757"/>  Humans are born with high levels of lactase expression.  In most of the world’s population, lactase transcription is down-regulated after weaning, resulting in diminished lactase expression in the small intestine,<ref name = "pmid9148757"/>  which causes the common symptoms of adult-type hypolactasia, or lactose intolerance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/LCT|title=LCT gene|first=Genetics Home|last=Reference|date=|website=Genetics Home Reference|accessdate=3 April 2018}}</ref>
Lactase is encoded by a single genetic locus on chromosome 2.<ref name = "pmid9148757">{{cite journal | vauthors = Troelsen JT, Mitchelmore C, Spodsberg N, Jensen AM, Norén O, Sjöström H | title = Regulation of lactase-phlorizin hydrolase gene expression by the caudal-related homoeodomain protein Cdx-2 | journal = The Biochemical Journal | volume = 322 ( Pt 3) | issue = Pt. 3 | pages = 833–8 | date = Mar 1997 | pmid = 9148757 | pmc = 1218263 }}</ref>  It is expressed exclusively by mammalian small intestine enterocytes and in very low levels in the colon during fetal development.<ref name="pmid9148757"/>  Humans are born with high levels of lactase expression.  In most of the world’s population, lactase transcription is down-regulated after weaning, resulting in diminished lactase expression in the small intestine,<ref name = "pmid9148757"/>  which causes the common symptoms of adult-type hypolactasia, or lactose intolerance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/LCT|title=LCT gene|first=Genetics Home|last=Reference|date=|website=Genetics Home Reference|accessdate=3 April 2018}}</ref>


Some population segments exhibit lactase persistence resulting from a mutation that is postulated to have occurred 5,000–10,000 years ago, coinciding with the rise of cattle domestication.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Bersaglieri T, Sabeti PC, Patterson N, Vanderploeg T, Schaffner SF, Drake JA, Rhodes M, Reich DE, Hirschhorn JN | title = Genetic signatures of strong recent positive selection at the lactase gene | journal = American Journal of Human Genetics | volume = 74 | issue = 6 | pages = 1111–20 | date = Jun 2004 | pmid = 15114531 | pmc = 1182075 | doi = 10.1086/421051 }}</ref>  This mutation has allowed almost half of the world’s population to metabolize lactose without symptoms.  Studies have linked the occurrence of lactase persistence to two different single-nucleotide polymorphisms about 14 and 22 kilobases upstream of the 5’-end of the LPH gene.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Kuokkanen M, Enattah NS, Oksanen A, Savilahti E, Orpana A, Järvelä I | title = Transcriptional regulation of the lactase-phlorizin hydrolase gene by polymorphisms associated with adult-type hypolactasia | journal = Gut | volume = 52 | issue = 5 | pages = 647–52 | date = May 2003 | pmid = 12692047 | pmc = 1773659 | doi = 10.1136/gut.52.5.647 }}</ref>  Both mutations, C→T at position -13910 and G→ A at position -22018, have been independently linked to lactase persistence.<ref name = "pmid15777735">{{cite journal | vauthors = Troelsen JT | title = Adult-type hypolactasia and regulation of lactase expression | journal = Biochimica et Biophysica Acta | volume = 1723 | issue = 1-3 | pages = 19–32 | date = May 2005 | pmid = 15777735 | doi = 10.1016/j.bbagen.2005.02.003 }}</ref>
Some population segments exhibit lactase persistence resulting from a mutation that is postulated to have occurred 5,000–10,000 years ago, coinciding with the rise of cattle domestication.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Bersaglieri T, Sabeti PC, Patterson N, Vanderploeg T, Schaffner SF, Drake JA, Rhodes M, Reich DE, Hirschhorn JN | title = Genetic signatures of strong recent positive selection at the lactase gene | journal = American Journal of Human Genetics | volume = 74 | issue = 6 | pages = 1111–20 | date = Jun 2004 | pmid = 15114531 | pmc = 1182075 | doi = 10.1086/421051 }}</ref>  This mutation has allowed almost half of the world’s population to metabolize lactose without symptoms.  Studies have linked the occurrence of lactase persistence to two different single-nucleotide polymorphisms about 14 and 22 kilobases upstream of the 5’-end of the LPH gene.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Kuokkanen M, Enattah NS, Oksanen A, Savilahti E, Orpana A, Järvelä I | title = Transcriptional regulation of the lactase-phlorizin hydrolase gene by polymorphisms associated with adult-type hypolactasia | journal = Gut | volume = 52 | issue = 5 | pages = 647–52 | date = May 2003 | pmid = 12692047 | pmc = 1773659 | doi = 10.1136/gut.52.5.647 }}</ref>  Both mutations, C→T at position -13910 and G→ A at position -22018, have been independently linked to lactase persistence.<ref name = "pmid15777735">{{cite journal | vauthors = Troelsen JT | title = Adult-type hypolactasia and regulation of lactase expression | journal = Biochimica et Biophysica Acta | volume = 1723 | issue = 1–3 | pages = 19–32 | date = May 2005 | pmid = 15777735 | doi = 10.1016/j.bbagen.2005.02.003 }}</ref>


The lactase promoter is 150 base pairs long and is located just upstream of the site of transcription initiation.<ref name = "pmid15777735"/> The sequence is highly conserved in mammals, suggesting that critical cis-transcriptional regulators are located nearby.<ref name = "pmid15777735"/>  Cdx-2, HNF-1α, and GATA have been identified as transcription factors.<ref name = "pmid15777735"/> Studies of hypolactasia onset have demonstrated that despite polymorphisms, little difference exists in lactase expression in infants, showing that the mutations become increasingly relevant during development.<ref name = "pmid9609760">{{cite journal | vauthors = Wang Y, Harvey CB, Hollox EJ, Phillips AD, Poulter M, Clay P, Walker-Smith JA, Swallow DM | title = The genetically programmed down-regulation of lactase in children | journal = Gastroenterology | volume = 114 | issue = 6 | pages = 1230–6 | date = Jun 1998 | pmid = 9609760 | doi = 10.1016/S0016-5085(98)70429-9 }}</ref> Developmentally regulated DNA-binding proteins may down-regulate transcription or destabilize mRNA transcripts, causing decreased LPH expression after weaning.<ref name = "pmid9609760"/>
The lactase promoter is 150 base pairs long and is located just upstream of the site of transcription initiation.<ref name = "pmid15777735"/> The sequence is highly conserved in mammals, suggesting that critical cis-transcriptional regulators are located nearby.<ref name = "pmid15777735"/>  Cdx-2, HNF-1α, and GATA have been identified as transcription factors.<ref name = "pmid15777735"/> Studies of hypolactasia onset have demonstrated that despite polymorphisms, little difference exists in lactase expression in infants, showing that the mutations become increasingly relevant during development.<ref name = "pmid9609760">{{cite journal | vauthors = Wang Y, Harvey CB, Hollox EJ, Phillips AD, Poulter M, Clay P, Walker-Smith JA, Swallow DM | title = The genetically programmed down-regulation of lactase in children | journal = Gastroenterology | volume = 114 | issue = 6 | pages = 1230–6 | date = Jun 1998 | pmid = 9609760 | doi = 10.1016/S0016-5085(98)70429-9 }}</ref> Developmentally regulated DNA-binding proteins may down-regulate transcription or destabilize mRNA transcripts, causing decreased LPH expression after weaning.<ref name = "pmid9609760"/>

Latest revision as of 15:59, 8 January 2019

Lactase
File:1jyn.jpg
Lactase tetramer, E.Coli
Identifiers
EC number3.2.1.108
CAS number9031-11-2
Databases
IntEnzIntEnz view
BRENDABRENDA entry
ExPASyNiceZyme view
KEGGKEGG entry
MetaCycmetabolic pathway
PRIAMprofile
PDB structuresRCSB PDB PDBe PDBsum
Gene OntologyAmiGO / QuickGO
Glycosylceramidase
(Phlorizin hydrolase)
Identifiers
EC number3.2.1.62
CAS number9033-10-7
Databases
IntEnzIntEnz view
BRENDABRENDA entry
ExPASyNiceZyme view
KEGGKEGG entry
MetaCycmetabolic pathway
PRIAMprofile
PDB structuresRCSB PDB PDBe PDBsum
Gene OntologyAmiGO / QuickGO
Lactase
Identifiers
SymbolLCT
Alt. symbolsLAC; LPH; LPH1
Entrez3938
HUGO6530
OMIM603202
RefSeqNM_002299
UniProtP09848
Other data
EC number3.2.1.108
LocusChr. 2 q21

Lactase is an enzyme produced by many organisms. It is located in the brush border of the small intestine of humans and other mammals. Lactase is essential to the complete digestion of whole milk; it breaks down lactose, a sugar which gives milk its sweetness. Lacking lactase, a person consuming dairy products may experience the symptoms of lactose intolerance.[1] Lactase can be purchased as a food supplement, and is added to milk to produce "lactose-free" milk products.

Lactase (also known as lactase-phlorizin hydrolase, or LPH), a part of the β-galactosidase family of enzymes, is a glycoside hydrolase involved in the hydrolysis of the disaccharide lactose into constituent galactose and glucose monomers. Lactase is present predominantly along the brush border membrane of the differentiated enterocytes lining the villi of the small intestine.[2] In humans, lactase is encoded by the LCT gene.[3][4]

Uses

Food use

Lactase is an enzyme that some people are unable to produce in their small intestine.[5] Without it they can't break down the natural lactose in milk, leaving them with diarrhea, gas and bloating when drinking regular milk. Technology to produce lactose-free milk, ice cream and yogurt was developed by the USDA Agricultural Research Service in 1985.[6] This technology is used to add lactase to milk, thereby hydrolyzing the lactose naturally found in milk, leaving it slightly sweet but digestible by everyone.[7] Without lactase, lactose intolerant people pass the lactose undigested to the colon[citation needed] where bacteria break it down creating carbon dioxide and that leads to bloating and flatulence.

Medical use

Lactase supplements are sometimes used to treat lactose intolerance.[8]

Industrial use

Lactase produced commercially can be extracted both from yeasts such as Kluyveromyces fragilis and Kluyveromyces lactis and from molds, such as Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus oryzae.[9] Its primary commercial use, in supplements such as Lacteeze and Lactaid, is to break down lactose in milk to make it suitable for people with lactose intolerance,[10][11] However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not formally evaluated the effectiveness of these products.[12]

Lactase is also used to screen for blue white colonies in the multiple cloning sites of various plasmid vectors in Escherichia coli or other bacteria.[13]

Mechanism

The optimum temperature for human lactase is about 37 °C for its activity[14] and has an optimum pH of 6.[2]

In metabolism, the β-glycosidic bond in D-lactose is hydrolyzed to form D-galactose and D-glucose, which can be absorbed through the intestinal walls and into the bloodstream. The overall reaction that lactase catalyzes is C12H22O11 + H2O → C6H12O6 + C6H12O6 + heat.

The catalytic mechanism of D-lactose hydrolysis retains the substrate anomeric configuration in the products.[15] While the details of the mechanism are uncertain, the stereochemical retention is achieved through a double displacement reaction. Studies of E. coli lactase have proposed that hydrolysis is initiated when a glutamate nucleophile on the enzyme attacks from the axial side of the galactosyl carbon in the β-glycosidic bond.[16] The removal of the D-glucose leaving group may be facilitated by Mg-dependent acid catalysis.[16] The enzyme is liberated from the α-galactosyl moiety upon equatorial nucleophilic attack by water, which produces D-galactose.[15]

Substrate modification studies have demonstrated that the 3′-OH and 2′-OH moieties on the galactopyranose ring are essential for enzymatic recognition and hydrolysis.[17] The 3′-hydroxy group is involved in initial binding to the substrate while the 2′- group is not necessary for recognition but needed in subsequent steps. This is demonstrated by the fact that a 2-deoxy analog is an effective competitive inhibitor (Ki = 10mM).[17] Elimination of specific hydroxyl groups on the glucopyranose moiety does not completely eliminate catalysis.[17]

Proposed mechanism of lactose hydrolysis by Lactase enzyme

Lactase also catalyzes the conversion of phlorizin to phloretin and glucose.

Structure and biosynthesis

Preprolactase, the primary translation product, has a single polypeptide primary structure consisting of 1927 amino acids.[3] It can be divided into five domains: (i) a 19-amino-acid cleaved signal sequence; (ii) a large prosequence domain that is not present in mature lactase; (iii) the mature lactase segment; (iv) a membrane-spanning hydrophobic anchor; and (v) a short hydrophilic carboxyl terminus.[3] The signal sequence is cleaved in the endoplasmic reticulum, and the resulting 215-kDa pro-LPH is sent to the Golgi apparatus, where it is heavily glycosylated and proteolytically processed to its mature form.[18] The prodomain has been shown to act as an intramolecular chaperone in the ER, preventing trypsin cleavage and allowing LPH to adopt the necessary 3-D structure to be transported to the Golgi apparatus.[19]

File:Lactase Processing.png
Schematic of processing and localization of human lactase translational product

Mature human lactase consists of a single 160-kDa polypeptide chain that localizes to the brush border membrane of intestinal epithelial cells. It is oriented with the N-terminus outside the cell and the C-terminus in the cytosol.[3] LPH contains two catalytic glutamic acid sites. In the human enzyme, the lactase activity has been connected to Glu-1749, while Glu-1273 is the site of phlorizin hydrolase function.[20]

Genetic expression and regulation

Lactase is encoded by a single genetic locus on chromosome 2.[21] It is expressed exclusively by mammalian small intestine enterocytes and in very low levels in the colon during fetal development.[21] Humans are born with high levels of lactase expression. In most of the world’s population, lactase transcription is down-regulated after weaning, resulting in diminished lactase expression in the small intestine,[21] which causes the common symptoms of adult-type hypolactasia, or lactose intolerance.[22]

Some population segments exhibit lactase persistence resulting from a mutation that is postulated to have occurred 5,000–10,000 years ago, coinciding with the rise of cattle domestication.[23] This mutation has allowed almost half of the world’s population to metabolize lactose without symptoms. Studies have linked the occurrence of lactase persistence to two different single-nucleotide polymorphisms about 14 and 22 kilobases upstream of the 5’-end of the LPH gene.[24] Both mutations, C→T at position -13910 and G→ A at position -22018, have been independently linked to lactase persistence.[25]

The lactase promoter is 150 base pairs long and is located just upstream of the site of transcription initiation.[25] The sequence is highly conserved in mammals, suggesting that critical cis-transcriptional regulators are located nearby.[25] Cdx-2, HNF-1α, and GATA have been identified as transcription factors.[25] Studies of hypolactasia onset have demonstrated that despite polymorphisms, little difference exists in lactase expression in infants, showing that the mutations become increasingly relevant during development.[26] Developmentally regulated DNA-binding proteins may down-regulate transcription or destabilize mRNA transcripts, causing decreased LPH expression after weaning.[26]

See also

References

  1. Järvelä I, Torniainen S, Kolho KL (2009). "Molecular genetics of human lactase deficiencies". Annals of Medicine. 41 (8): 568–75. doi:10.1080/07853890903121033. PMID 19639477.
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