Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, Vol.104, No.3, 925-933, 2020
An overview of microbial indigo-forming enzymes
Indigo is one of the oldest textile dyes and was originally prepared from plant material. Nowadays, indigo is chemically synthesized at a large scale to satisfy the demand for dyeing jeans. The current indigo production processes are based on fossil feedstocks; therefore, it is highly attractive to develop a more sustainable and environmentally friendly biotechnological process for the production of this popular dye. In the past decades, a number of natural and engineered enzymes have been identified that can be used for the synthesis of indigo. This mini-review provides an overview of the various microbial enzymes which are able to produce indigo and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each biocatalytic system.
Keywords:Indigo;Indole;Naphthalene dioxygenase;Styrene monoxygenase;P450 monoxygenase;Peroxygenase;Flavoprotein monooxygenase