Stereospecificity of lipases. Enzymatic hydrolysis of enantiomeric alkyldiacyl- and dialkylacylglycerols by lipoprotein lipase.

Lipoprotein lipase from dialyzed and lyophilized bovine skim milk hydrolyses specifically the ester in position 1 of triacylglycerols and of enantiomeric alkyldiacylglycerols. No such specificity could be observed when enantiomeric dialkylacylglycerols were used as substrates since hydrolysis in positions 1 and 3 occurred at the same rate. Dialkylacylglycerols are, therefore, unsuitable as model substrates for the assay of the stereospecificity of lipases.