Patent 7704707 was granted and assigned to AJINOMOTO CO., INC. on April, 2010 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The present invention provides a neutral metalloprotease from actinomycetes which selectively cleaves a pro-structure part of a microbial protransglutaminase and a gene encoding said neutral metalloprotease. An active microbial transglutaminase having the pro-structure part cleaved can be obtained by culturing a microorganism into which a gene encoding the neutral metalloprotease from actinomycetes according to the present invention has been introduced, where by producing the neutral metalloprotease from actinomycetes, and reacting it on a microbial protransglutaminase.