title: Microbial biosynthesis of polyglutamic acid biopolymer and applications in the biopharmaceutical, biomedical and food industries.
abstract: This review article provides an updated critical literature review on the production and applications of Polyglutamic Acid (PGA). alpha-PGA is synthesized chemically, whereas gamma-PGA can be produced by a number of microbial species, most prominently various Bacilli. Great insight into the microbial formation of gamma-PGA has been gained thanks to the development of molecular biological techniques. Moreover, there is a great variety of applications for both isoforms of PGA, many of which have not been discovered until recently. These applications include: wastewater treatment, food products, drug delivery, medical adhesives, vaccines, PGA nanoparticles for on-site drug release in cancer chemotherapy, and tissue engineering.
authors: Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors: Joerg M
authors: JM
authors: Buescher
authors: Argyrios
authors: A
authors: Margaritis
mesh_terms: D001406:Bacillaceae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020811:Biomedical Technology; D001704:Biopolymers / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004337:Drug Carriers; D004345:Drug Industry; D019649:Food Industry; D005524:Food Technology; D005544:Forecasting; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008954:Models, Biological; D015394:Molecular Structure; D053758:Nanoparticles; D010316:Particle Size; D011099:Polyglutamic Acid / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D001704:Biopolymers; D004337:Drug Carriers; D011099:Polyglutamic Acid