Transglutaminases

The history of the enzyme class of transglutaminases started almost 60 years ago when the term transglutaminase (TG) was introduced in the scientific literature by Heinrich Waelsch and coworkers.

Today, we know TGs are a family of nine different isoenzymes in the human body. Although transglutaminases have one basic common feature – the formation of high molecular weight aggregates by covalent protein cross-linking – they fulfill a plethora of other catalytic and physiological functions.

The sketch below gives you a rough overview of the transglutaminase family members and their implications in physiology, diseases, and diagnostics - as it is known today.