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This book presents basic and extensive information on the physiological and pathological significance of the protein-modifying enzymes, transglutaminases, which are involved in multiple biological events by catalyzing a unique and important posttranslational modification reaction, cross-linking of proteins, and interacting with a large number of proteins inside and outside of cells. Although several of their essential physiological roles have been revealed, many unknown and so far not fully understood functions have remained. In humans, there are eight active isozymes having distinct tissue and subcellular distribution patterns with different substrates and physiological roles. Accordingly, aberrant regulation of the enzyme reactions or expression may lead to or has been implicated in various pathologies including neurodegeneration, fibrosis, cancer, inflammation, celiac disease, and hemostasis disorders.To provide those who are new to the field with basic knowledge and recent information on transglutaminase structures and reactions, the mechanism by which transglutaminases modify substrate proteins and their contributions to multiple biological phenomena as well as disease phenotypes, the publication of the present transglutaminase book was planned, to consist of review articles by 17 expert investigators working in this exciting area of research. The book contains detailed information related to several transglutaminases from aspects in chemical and cellular biology, medical sciences, and biotechnology that will also supply starting points for drug discovery. Although many prominent findings have been published in recent years, this type of comprehensive review book has been missing in the scientific literature. This volume will be useful for investigators who either currently work on or will start addressing transglutaminase-related research, and beyond that, for a broad audience in the scientific community.

Transglutaminases are a family of structurally and functionally related enzymes that are widely distributed and have been identified in a variety of organisms ranging from bacteria to mammals and plants. The reactions (isopeptide bonds) catalyzed by these enzymes are of great physiologic significance; they are highly stable and resistant to proteolytic degradation. Isopeptide bonds are commonly found in hair and skin, and they accumulate during wound healing, apoptosis, and blood clotting. Dysregulation of transglutaminase functions results in a number of pathologic conditions, such as neurodegeneration, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, progressive tissue fibrosis and diseases related to the assembly of the stratum corneum of the epidermis of the skin. The ability of transglutaminases to catalyze highly stable isopeptide bonds is also being exploited by the food processing and textile industries. Moreover, there has been a recent surge in findings indicating that transglutaminases are involved in various biological processes such as normal and neoplastic cell growth, reproduction, and cell death. As newer members of the transglutaminase family are being discovered and new functions for existing members are being described, it becomes imperative to collect all the findings in a book. This volume provides the most comprehensive single source of information and will appeal to both new investigators just entering the field and established researchers aiming to elucidate the biological relevance of these enzymes in cancer, inflammation, autoimmune diseases and related areas of research.