Two novel deep-sea sediment metagenome-derived esterases: residue 199 is the determinant of substrate specificity and preference

Background The deep-sea environment harbors a vast pool of novel enzymes. Owing to the limitations of cultivation, cultivation-independent has become an effective method for mining novel enzymes from the environment. Based on a deep-sea sediment metagenomics library, lipolytic-positive clones were obtained by activity-based screening methods.