Evaluation of trans-glutaminase enzyme production in native Streptomyces isolated from agricultural soils of Qom province

Transglutaminase enzyme is a type of protease enzyme of acyltransferase type, the bonds formed by this enzyme cause strength and stability in the products of various industries. Actinobacteria have biotechnological applications due to their ability to produce secondary metabolites and enzymes. The present study was conducted with the aim of identifying and screening trans-glutaminase-producing actinobacterial strains from the soils of the rhizosphere area of native medicinal plants in Qom province. In this research, 100 samples of soil from agricultural fields in Qom province were collected in completely sterile conditions and after preparing successive dilutions, they were cultured on ISP3 agar culture medium. Actinobacterial isolates were screened by transglutaminase enzyme specific identifier. Environmental factors including culture medium and shaker cycle were optimized on isolate growth and enzyme production. In order to identify and investigate the phylogeny of actinobacterial isolates, phenotypic and molecular methods were used. Out of 40 actinobacterial isolates, 5 strains showed the ability to produce the enzyme, based on the halo of color change by the specific substrate N-Carbobenzoxy (CBZ). The selected isolate with the highest amount of enzyme production, in terms of 16S rRNA gene synonymy, was similar to Streptomyces genus. The results of this study showed that Streptomyces isolate native to agricultural soils of Qom province has a significant ability to produce transglutaminase enzyme, which was studied for the first time. This isolate can be used in various food and pharmaceutical industries to produce transglutaminase enzyme.