Esterification
is one of the most important reactions in organic
synthesis and industrial applications. The applications of lipases
in esterification are increasingly widespread and have high cumulative
values. Mostly, in the catalytic cycle of lipases, the tunnel connecting
the active site to the surface of a protein plays a significant role
in ligand transport. As a unique conformational structure of a protein,
the tunnel could regulate the catalytic performance of lipases via
ligand transportation. Therefore, the tunnel of lipase can be designed
accordingly to speed up the transportation of the ligand, also highlighting
the importance of tunnel engineering in the industrial application
of enzymatic esterification reactions. This article reviewed the characterizations
of the tunnel structure and focused on the strategies of tunnel engineering,
such as rational design and directed evolution. Additionally, tunnel
engineering using computer-aided design techniques (e.g., CAVER, Molecular
Dynamics simulations) to improve the catalytic functions of lipases,
such as activity, substrate specificity, and stability, was also discussed
in depth. Finally, this review provides future perspectives about
tunnel-engineered lipases as biocatalysts in esterification reactions.