Biotechnological routes for transglutaminase production: Recent achievements,perspectives and limits

Background: Transglutaminase (TGase) belongs to the transferases family that catalyzes the formation of isopeptide bonds between proteins. Its cross-linking properties are extensively used in food industry. Nowadays, TGase isolation from Streptomyces sp. is used in almost all industrial branches. The complexity of current procedure prompts scientists to develop an efficient and easy-to-use system for the “green” production of TGase.Scope and approach: This article reviews the application of biotechnological routes in transglutaminase (TGase) production. The nature sources and industrial production of TGase were discussed in this review. Furthermore, the potential of biotechnological routes for TGase production was highlighted. Metabolic engineering of microorganisms is exemplified for biotechnological synthesis of TGase. The drawbacks as well as improvements of the production of TGase via biotechnological routes were also discussed.Key findings and conclusions: Biotechnological routes provide the possible measures to heterologous expression of TGase. After decades of efforts, the expression of recombinant TGase has significant improvements. Further research and development towards cost-effective production may result in a more affordable product that could be exploited for a broad range of applications.