The inventors have isolated novel lipolytic enzyme genes with a high
homology to the T. lanuginosus lipase gene and thus well suited for use
in gene shuffling. Accordingly, the invention provides a method of
generating genetic diversity into lipolytic enzymes by family shuffling
of two or more homologous genes which encode lipolytic enzymes. The DNA
shuffling technique is used to create a library of shuffled genes, and
this is expressed in a suitable expression system and the expressed
proteins are screened for lipolytic enzyme activity. The invention also
provides a polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a
lipolytic enzyme and a lipolytic enzyme (a polypeptide with lipolytic
enzyme activity).